


Always, But Not Forever (Episode 2)

by JB Harris (LizAna)



Series: The Timeless Chronicles [2]
Category: Doctor Who, Torchwood, Torchwood (Big Finish Audio)
Genre: Angst and Feels, Innuendo, M/M, M/M kissing, POV The Doctor (Doctor Who), captain jack dying and coming back to life, janto, references to Torchwood Big Finish audio Aliens among us, sensual scenes but no explicit sex, some violence, torchwood cannon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-08
Updated: 2017-12-24
Packaged: 2019-02-12 03:10:33
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 21,796
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12950019
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LizAna/pseuds/JB%20Harris
Summary: Ianto Jones died a day ago in 2009. Except he kind of didn't. Saved by The Doctor, he's been five hundred years into the future and now returned to Cardiff 2018. Nine years have passed, Torchwood has persisted, but Jack and Gwen have moved on. As usual, things are far from simple, because trouble is following The Doctor and Ianto. A race who call themselves the Timeless want to achieve immortality by existing outside of time. But the price of this could be a collapse in the fabric of reality. Worse, the Timeless seem to have fixated on Jack's immortality. And the best way to get to Captain Jack Harkness? Ianto Jones.(The Timeless Chronicles - A series in which The 13th Doctor saves Ianto from dying in CoE and he becomes her companion)





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I'm trying to keep this as cannon as possible, and since I decided to slot Ianto back into 2018, the events of this story will occur after season 5 (Aliens Among Us as produced by Big Finish audio dramas) which is set in 2017. Unfortunately part 3 hasn't been released yet, so I'm just guessing that by the end of season 5, all the characters will be present and accounted for and (spoilers!) free of aliens controlling their bodies... it's a thing that's happening. If you're a Torchwood fan and you haven't checked out Aliens Among Us (or the other awesome Torchwood content they've produced, notably Outbreak and Broken) then you're seriously missing out!  
> Anyway, so for anyone who doesn't know what happens in season 5 of Torchwood, the hub is back in action (though not working all that well... it did get blown up in CoE and then apparently the Torchwood accounts were frozen... they're seriously lacking funds to rebuild properly at the moment and now they drive a smart car instead of an SUV... it's actually pretty funny) and there are new regular characters -- Tyler Steele, a disgraced former journalist who was in jail for a while, but now wants to prove himself as a real journalist. Of course Jack sleeps with him, then they have a bit of a casual hook up thing going on for a while. Tyler doesn't actually work for Torchwood (though Jack did consider giving him a job until he proved not to be very good under pressure), but instead works for the mayor's office and often finds himself in the middle of Torchwood business. Mr Colchester, who is a civil servant and from memory was, I think assigned by the government to help get Torchwood up and running again, but then the funds dried up for some reason and he stuck around anyway. Orr was rescued from a race of aliens called the Sorvix, and is a sexual psychomorph -- originally created by the Sorvix as a weapon to transform according to the desires of the person in their company (note that Orr is always referred to as "they" instead of he or she or it) and is therefore neither male nor female, but can be any form of life (there was this great Janto reference where Orr offers to turn into "him" for Jack as a reward for helping Orr escape the Sorvix). Orr is probably my favorite out of the new characters, though Mr Colchester does has his moments, and I started liking Tyler after I got over the indignation of him sleeping with Jack... Ianto is gone, and Jack was never a monk, even when he was with Ianto. Anyhoo, that's a bit of cannon background to put things in perspective for anyone who hasn't heard the Big Finish episodes.

**Cardiff 2018**

Ianto Jones had seen a lot of things in his life. Some of them had been amazing, some of them had been horrible. Some, he wanted to remember forever, while others he wished he could forget.

This moment, however—this moment was all of those things cobbled together, leaving him unable to decide if he was excited, or felt sick, or wanted to run away, or wanted to go find Torchwood’s stash of amnesia pills and retcon himself into forgetting it all.

“Are you ready?” The Doctor asked from where she stood beside him. Probably because he’d paused in front of the closed doors of the TARDIS and hadn’t moved in the last few seconds.

“I don’t know.” He swallowed down the tension at the back of his tongue, telling himself everything would work out somehow.

Problem was, he should be dead. He had died. In 2009. Killed in a matter of breathless moments when an alien force threatening Earth’s children had released a virus into Thames House in relation for him and Torchwood’s leader, Captain Jack Harkness, refusing to bow to their demands.

He’d died in Jack’s arms, and then Jack had gone on without him.

Except a new threat had awakened out in the far reaches of the universe, one that somehow had him and Jack mixed up in it. The Doctor had gone back to save him, believing it was the only way to circumvent a catastrophe she couldn’t see coming yet.

Together, they’d travelled five hundred years into the future, to a small planet where people had actually built some kind of insane shrine to him. Things had gotten a little out of hand. He’d almost had involuntary brain surgery by some apparatus which would have done God-only-knew what to him, and The Doctor had discovered the truth; that an ancient race called the Timeless—who believed they could achieve immortality by existing outside of time—had far reaching plans that threatened the very fabric of reality.

Unfortunately, they still didn’t know what the Timeless needed him and Jack for, but it wasn’t a stretch to imagine it was something to do with the fact that Jack himself was a fixed point in time, and therefore, immortal.

Instead of going back to 2009, where he’d left from, the Doctor had brought him forward nine years to 2018. She’d seen events unfolding that she believed the Timeless were responsible for, and had insisted making the jump in Jack’s timeline was the only thing they could do.

Technically, it’d only been a mere few hours since he’d seen Jack. Less than a day. Yet it felt like he’d lived every single minute of the nine years that now separated them. Who knew what Jack had done during that time? But there was nothing he could do about it now; the chips had fallen and he had to play the hand he’d been dealt.

“Okay, let’s go.” He braced himself as they stepped through the doors, outside to a drizzly Cardiff day. The Doctor had landed the TARDIS in the public square, just across from the Millennium Centre, saying something about the rift in time and space that was situated here recharging the engines.

Of course, last time he’d stood in this place, there’d been nothing but a massive smoking crater in the ground. The Torchwood hub had been destroyed by a man in the government trying to cover up past mistakes that had led to the 456 aliens demanding ten percent of the world’s children. He’d been trying to kill them—specifically Jack—who’d known the truth of the situation. They’d barely escaped, and then events had spiralled, ending with his death. Well, it had been the end for him. Jack and Gwen had continued on without him.

Until today, anyway.

Dread lodged itself deep in his stomach with sharp hooks--a trepidation that he was going to find so much time had passed, there was no place for him at Torchwood any longer.

“It almost looks the same” he said as they crossed the walkway toward the boardwalk where the fake tourist information office hid one of the entrances to the hub. The water tower had been rebuilt, albeit a little more modernly. There were a few more sculptures and places to sit scattered around the open paved area than there had been in 2009. “The hub is still down there?”

“You know Jack tends to get attached to things,” The Doctor answered. “It took a while and his funds were a bit limited for a few years there. But he’s nothing if not stubborn about Torchwood. It’s taken nearly a decade, but they’re back to doing all the usual things.”

“Touching stuff we shouldn’t. Sticking our noses into all manner of alien business,” he answered, unable to keep the amusement out of his voice, even though The Doctor shot him an unimpressed look. The underground hub had been over a hundred years worth of Torchwood agents and history all kind of mish-mashed together. There really hadn’t been anywhere else like it in the world. “I could have sworn after the bomb that there wouldn’t be anything left to rebuild.”

“You know Jack, that man never gives up and doesn’t do things by halves,” The Doctor murmured.

“No, that he doesn’t.” It made him smile, thinking about all the times Jack went rushing into places gung-ho while the rest of them stood back and rolled their eyes.

They went down to the pier, and the fake tourist information office was still there, just like it’d always been, though the exterior was looking a bit tired. When they walked in, he nearly had a panic attack. Pamphlets were haphazardly stacked and stuffed all over the place and a fine coating of dust covered many of the shelves. It looked like no one had ever cleaned up properly after the explosion. Assuming the explosion had reached this far. Possibly no one had taken over his job, so Jack and Gwen had just made do. Rounding the counter, he found the button to open the secret door right where it had always been.

“Do you think we should just head down?” he asked, glancing up at The Doctor.

“Well maybe we should ask.” She sent him a mischievous smile and nodded to indicate he should look behind himself.  

An older gentleman shuffled out from behind the bead curtain, talking on his mobile phone.

“Yes, Colin, I put it exactly where you told me. No, I don’t know why it’s not there now. Listen, I have to go, there are people waiting at the tourist desk. Yes, he still makes me keep it going. I know it’s a ridiculous sham. I’ve told him—look, I really have to go.” He hung up the phone and regarded them with a faintly disapproving look. “Can I help you?”

“Hello,” The Doctor greeted. “We’re here to see Captain Jack Harkness. I believe he works downstairs?”

The man’s expression barely changed, apart from the tiniest flicker in his eyes. The gentleman was good, but Ianto was better at reading people. “I’m sorry, no one by that name works here. I can give you a bus timetable, but that’s about the best I can do to help you.”

The Doctor leaned an arm on the desk. “Okay, I’ll play along. No Captain Jack here. But you see, we know who, or rather _what_ is really below us, and believe me, the people down there are going to be very happy to see us.”

“I’m sorry,” the man’s features hardened slightly. “The only thing you’ll find beneath us are sewers and rats the size of dogs.”

“The size of dogs you say?” The Doctor glanced over her shoulder at him. “I think I’d like to see that. Wouldn’t you like to see that, Ianto?”

“Not really, no,” he drawled in return, unable to help returning her grin, since she was clearly enjoying herself. “Last time I saw one down there, it looked like it was ready to have a go at gnawing my arm off. I'd rather take on a weevil any day.”

“I tell you what,” The Doctor said, returning her attention to the man behind the counter. “How about you just call down and tell them we’re here. If they say they don’t know us, then we’ll leave without a fuss.”

The man stared at The Doctor for a long moment, clearly debating what to do, before finally reaching over and picking up the handset of the same old-fashioned phone he’d always has a peculiar soft spot for, often using it to call down to the hub himself, even though he'd always kept his mobile on him.

“Names, please,” the man asked them in a gruff voice.

“That’s Ianto Jones. And I’m The Doctor.”

“Ianto Jones.” The man’s brow creased slightly, like his name was an issue. “And Doctor who?”

“Just The Doctor. They’ll understand.”

The man didn’t look convinced, but made the call nonetheless.

“Hello, I’ve got two people up here insisting on coming down. They said their names are The Doctor and Ianto Jones. What do you want—”

The man’s words cut off, and he eyed them like they might be cockroaches who needed squashing as he listened whatever was being said on the other end of the line.

“Of course. Right away.”

He hung up the phone with a clatter. He side-stepped over to press the button Ianto had checked out earlier. “They want you down there immediately.”

The Doctor drummed her hands on the desk. “Thank you, much appreciated.”

A flutter of apprehension rippled through his stomach as they waited for the secret panel to finish swinging out of the way, opening onto the tunnel that led down to the hub. He hadn’t been this nervous about fronting Jack since the first day he’d tracked him down to beg for a job at Torchwood three.

“Do you think Jack will be happy to see me?” he asked The Doctor as they headed down the concrete lined corridor.

“Of course. What else would he feel after not seeing you for nine years?”

“Oh, I don’t know. I can think of a few other things. Angry. Hurt. Worse, not caring.”

“Horny?” The Doctor tossed at him with a grin.

He cast her an exasperated look. “This is Jack we’re talking about. I’m sure he hasn’t spent the last nine years celibate.”

They arrived in front of the elevator door and it slid open with a slight squeak.

“There’s a possibility he’ll be all those things, Ianto. But most of all, I’m sure he’s going to be happy.” The Doctor’s tone was confident and reassuring, making the words easier to believe. She whipped her sonic screwdriver out and used it with a flourish on the control panel instead of pressing the buttons like a normal person.

Inside the elevator was almost new and had the Torchwood logo plastered across it. He supposed the old one got blown up along with everything else. As they slowly went down, his heart picked up speed, nearly making him light-headed. That would be a great way to mark his return after nine years—hyperventilating and passing out in the elevator.

The Doctor, however, definitely didn’t seem to be having any problems. She rubbed her hands together, clearly anticipating her first official visit to the hub. “Watch out, Torchwood. Here we come.”


	2. Chapter 2

The Doctor tapped her toe in time to the snooze-worthy elevator music playing as they went down into the Torchwood hub. Which was odd. Who had bothered putting music into an elevator that only a handful of people used? It had to be some kind of joke. Probably with Jack as the culprit behind it.

Ianto stood ridged next to her, practically vibrating with tension. Anyone would have though the poor thing was going to face his execution, not the man he loved.

Of course, depending on how Jack reacted when they saw him, Ianto was going to have his work cut out for him explaining what had happened. But she’d be there for him, she was partly responsible for this mess, after all.

The other responsibly party—the Timeless—she’d be holding them accountable as soon as she could work out what they were up to, and then figure out a way to stop them.

The elevator stopped and Ianto inhaled as the doors opened like he was preparing himself for the worst. Or maybe the best. Who really knew? Either way, he was probably getting himself in a tizz over nothing. But love tended to do that to people.

They stepped out of the lift and then a huge blast door was rolling away with a kind of clicking-clanking noise. Still a few scorch marks on it from the explosion, but looked solid. They went through it into an empty, silent space—set out much the same way it had been from what little she’d seen and heard from Ianto. Some things had obviously been recovered from the explosion, but all the equipment and a lot of the furniture looked newish. However, there was no one to be seen.

“Okay,” Ianto said slowly. “Not quite what I was expect—”

She glanced at Ianto as his words cut off suddenly. Gwen Cooper stood next to him with a gun pressed into his temple, having crept up from somewhere to the left of them. Her expression was furious, gaze fixed on Ianto with almost fanatic intensity.

People and their guns. She hated guns. And seeing one pointed at Ianto’s head after she’d gone to so much trouble to save him was putting her in a very bad mood.

Ianto slowly held out his hands out to the sides. “Gwen—”

“Shut up!” She pulled the gun back a few inches, but only far enough to circle around in front of him and set the gun against his forehead. “I don’t know who you are, mate, or what kind of sick joke this is, but you picked the wrong dead friend to impersonate.”

“Gwen, it’s me, Ianto.”

“Don’t!” She shoved the gun harder, making him drop to his knees. “Don’t even say it. I don’t want to hear a single sodding word come out of your mouth, you hear me?”

Ianto clamped his lips closed, jaw clenched. For the first time, he was looking truly worried about how this was going to play out.

“Gwen Cooper, I suggest you put that gun away,” she said in a firm voice.

Gwen cut her a wild glance, too many emotions in her hazel eyes.

“You really thought this would work, did you?” Gwen demanded. “Ianto Jones and The Doctor. Like we’d ever fall for that. Who are you really? What did you come here for?”

She held up her hands and shifted a little closer. “I know this is hard to understand, but if you just give us one minute, I’ll explain everything.”

“Oh, you’re going to explain, all right.” Gwen’s hand holding the gun tremored slightly before she tightened her grip. “I’ll give you one minute, and then I’m going to shoot you.”

Ianto closed his eyes, like it was taking all of his will power not to say anything. But, smart man, he obviously realized anything he said might only push Gwen over the edge.

She didn’t honestly think Gwen would shoot them, but emotions were running high, and people could be unpredictable.

“Maybe we should just get the shooting over and done with then,” she suggested with a hint of challenge to her tone.

“ _What_?” Ianto demanded in a hoarse voice as Gwen snapped her head around to stare at her, which was exactly what she wanted; to gain Gwen’s full attention.

“Because I’m not going to talk to you while you’ve got a gun pointed at Ianto’s head. Not after everything I did to save him, which honestly, may not have been the best thing. But it’s done now, and killing him at this point seems rather redundant.”

“Oh, thank you,” Ianto said, slicing her a glare. “I’m so glad you think I was probably better off dead.”

“Sass, Mr Jones.” She pointed an admonishing finger at him and he pressed his mouth closed with a thwarted glare.

Gwen blinked, passing a glance back and forth between them like she wasn’t sure what to do with them. But she did lower the gun and take two steps back from Ianto. He blew out a sharply relieved breath and lowered his hands as he sagged.

“Bloody hell, Gwen, for a second I really thought you were going to shoot me.”

“Shut up, I still might.” She turned her attention to The Doctor. “You. I’ll listen to you. I can’t talk to him.” Gwen stole a glance at him, this time nothing but pain in her eyes. “Not him, okay?”

 The Doctor crossed her arms with a pointed look. “Gun.”

Gwen all but rolled her eyes, but then made a big show of putting the gun away and holding out her empty hands. “Now talk.”

“What I said was true, I am The Doctor. Not either of The Doctors that Jack met, I’ve regenerated twice—or is it three times—since then. Technically I think its more like six or something. Half regenerations, you see, because Ten was completely in love with himself and—”

“I don’t need a comprehensive history.” Gwen interrupted with impatience.

“Sorry. Right you are. Short version of a long story. The universe is in trouble. An old enemy of the Timelords has returned and they have this rather unhealthy obsession with one Captain Jack Harkness and a certain Ianto Jones. It was a risk, but I believed the only way to find out what they’re planning was to save Ianto on the day he was meant to die and change the timeline. So I did. I went to 2009 yesterday, waited until you and Jack had left Ianto lying in the gymnasium with all the other bodies from Thames House, then gave him an anti-viral. Bob’s your uncle—Ianto Jones alive and in the flesh. Of course, we had to take a minor detour five-hundred-years into the future—”

“Stop.” Gewn held up a hand, brows dipping as she tried to make sense of everything. “If I’m to believe you—and I’m not saying I do—you’re telling me this is Ianto from almost ten years ago. Twenty-seven-year-old Ianto Jones, and not a day older?”

“I saw you yesterday, Gwen, in the Torchwood one warehouse where we were hiding out after the hub got blown up and we went to London. Rhys cooked beans for dinner, and when he spilled some on his shirt, you made a joke about how he did it on purpose just so he could get his kit off.”

Gwen stared at Ianto with wide eyes, shaking her head slightly. “I just can’t believe it. I want to. God, you don’t know how much I want to. But I saw you, Ianto. You were dead. It’s been nine years. We got used to you being gone.”

Pain crossed Ianto’s face as he stared at her. “Jack? He got used to me being gone? How long did that take?”

Gwen glanced away from him, clearly not willing to go near that subject.

“Okay, then, Gwen.” The Doctor closed the distance between them and slowly reached out to set her hand on Gwen’s shoulder. “What do we need to do so you can believe us? Proof?”

With Gwen watching her warily, she reached into her coat with careful movements and pulled out the one thing The Doctor never went anywhere without.

“Sonic screwdriver.”

Gwen gave a belligerent shrug. “So? Anyone could have a sonic screwdriver.”

“Actually, they can’t. I have the only one.” She tapped the screwdriver against her chin. “Or is that the only thirteen, because every time I regenerate, I tinker with it, and each one is slightly different. Of course, I did go through that phase with the sonic sunglasses, but I soon came to my senses—”

“Doctor,” Ianto interrupted in a long-suffering tone, as if he’d put up with her rambling for years, not a single day. “I think Gwen is going to need something more concrete than just seeing your sonic screwdriver.”

She held out her arms. “Then I’m opened to suggestions. What do you say, Gwen?”

“Tests.” Gwen pulled two pairs of handcuffs out of her pocket. “Lots and lots of tests.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so though I wanted to keep this as close to cannon as possible, I have added an extra character named Lydia because for this story the team kind of needed a doctor.

Ianto climbed to his feet as Gwen held out the handcuffs. So this wasn’t exactly the reunion he’d hoped for, but in hindsight, he should have realized they wouldn’t automatically believe it was really him after almost a decade. For all the crazy stuff they’d seen and done over the years, of course it was easier to believe that someone had cloned him, or made a really convincing Ianto disguise, rather than believe he was back from the dead.  
Jack was probably here somewhere, watching all of this unfold on the security monitors and coming up with a million possibilities to what he was—none of them himself.  
Gwen snapped the cuffs around his wrists and he winced as they pinched too tight, but didn’t say anything.  
“Are these really necessary? I promise, we’re not going to try anything.”  
Gwen looked at him, meeting his eyes properly for the first time since he’d stepped out of the elevator.  
“If you really are Ianto, then you know the answer to that. Torchwood hasn’t changed that much in the last nine years.” Gwen shifted over to The Doctor and snapped a pair of cuffs around her wrists as well.  
“I’d just rather not be wearing them when I see Jack.” He tried to catch Gwen’s eye again, but she was avoiding looking at him.  
“This isn’t the first time Jack’s had you in handcuffs, Ianto.”  
“I know, it’s just that last time, I was naked and it was much more fun.”  
She frowned at him, clearly not appreciating his joke. “I was talking about when we found out you had your Cyberwoman girlfriend stashed in the cellar.”  
“I’m sorry.” The Doctor rounded on him with an incredulous expression. “Did I just hear that correctly? You were harbouring a Cyberman?”  
“She was my girlfriend, Lisa, and she wasn’t fully converted. I was trying to save her life.” He turned his attention. “See? How would I know that if I wasn’t really Ianto?”  
Gwen made a motion with her hand for him to start walking. “Down to the medical area.”  
He sighed, sharing a glance with The Doctor. Clearly they should have planned this better before just walking in here, but running into places with no plan seemed to be a theme with The Doctor.  
“Come on, Mr. Jones.” The Doctor went first, proceeding him past the bank of computer monitors. “A few needles and a few scans, and they’ll figure out it’s really you. Then we can get on with the real problem—working out what the Timeless are up to.”  
“The Timeless? What’s that?” Gwen asked as came along behind him.  
“Basically, a race of people who want to achieve immortality by existing outside of time,” The Doctor answered. “Impossible. Probably. But on the off chance they happened to succeed, the very fabric of reality could potentially collapse.”  
“So in other word a bunch of arsehole with a God complex who want to take over the universe and screw the rest of us,” Gwen surmised. “Must be Monday.”  
He glanced at the sophisticated computer equipment running all kinds of programs as they passed. The new systems were mixed in with all the creature comforts for people who spent long hours here—couches, a pinball machine, a solid but banged-up wooden table surrounded by mismatching chairs, with a half-set out board game on top of it, a deck of cards also strewn nearby. There were empty coffee mugs and jackets draped over backs of chairs. Pictures tacked up to walls and a poster of some movie that someone had graffitied with some joke he didn’t get, but probably made complete sense to anyone who’d been in 2018 for more than five minutes.  
There weren’t, however, any other people to be seen, and he knew that had been done on purpose. If he and The Doctor turned out to be a threat, then security protocol meant it was safer if the rest of the team weren’t sighted.  
“Through here.” Gwen led them down a few steps to Owen’s medical area. His gaze snagged on Jack’s office, but he wasn’t in there.  
“Is he here somewhere, watching all this?” He didn’t even realize he’d asked the question out loud until Gwen looked at him.  
“No, he’s not here right now. Lucky for you, or you’d probably already be dead. Jack wouldn’t have reacted as calmly as I did to the sight of your face.”  
“That was calm?” The Doctor mumbled to him.  
“For Gwen? Yeah, it really was.”  
They paused while Gwen stopped to pull out some sophisticated medical equipment on a trolley. The whole area was still small, but much more functional than it had been before it’d gotten blown up.  
“Well, this must come in handy.” Owen would have loved this. He’d always complained about the old-fashioned space he’d had to work with in the Torchwood hub.  
A woman with curly light brown hair, wearing a white coat, appeared on the steps above them, holding a tablet.  
“This is Doctor Lydia Cromwell,” Gwen introduced. “Lydia, I need you to run every possible test to make sure these two are who they said. Preferably before Jack gets back.”  
“There’s one test we can get out of the way right now,” Lydia glanced at The Doctor as she pulled a stethoscope out of her coat pocket. “If you don’t mind?”  
“Not at all.” The Doctor brushed by Ianto and went over to stand in front of Lydia, who murmured an apology, before setting the stethoscope against her chest. She shifted it around, listening intently, before straightening and looping the stethoscope around her neck.  
“Definitely two hearts.”  
“Well, that’s a relief,” The Doctor said with a grin.  
“And him?” Gwen asked, nodding a chin in his direction, as if she didn’t even want to say his name. This was going so great.  
“I’ll run a full body scan, take blood for DNA markers. That’s about the best I can do without using our more advanced medical equipment.”  
“Which you can’t do without Jack’s permission, and he’s out of contact for now. Make a start, and we’ll decide what to do once the results start coming in.”  
Gwen didn’t even bother to spare them a glance as she turned and jogged up the stairs.  
“Happy to see you too, Gwen,” he called out as she got to the landing above.  
“If you’ll come and climb up on the examination gurney, we can get this over and done with,” Lydia said in a no-nonsense voice.  
He shared a quick look with The Doctor, who tilted her head to the side like she was telling him to hurry up.  
“I don’t suppose you can take off these handcuffs.” It took him two tries to get on the bed with the way his hands were bound in front of him.  
The Doctor began strolling around the space, studying the equipment and generally being nosey.  
“Even if I wanted to, I don’t have a key. Gwen does. And since she’s in charge while Jack’s not here, I’d really rather not piss off my boss and risk getting fired today.” Lydia pulled a wheeled trolley over that had needles and a few other bits and pieces spread out on top of it.  
She reached down and unbuttoned his shirt sleeve cuff, before rolling it up above his elbow.  
“How long have you worked for Torchwood?” For some reason, he needed to know it all; everything that had happened in the last nine years. See what kind of life Jack and Gwen had built without him.  
“Four months. I was working at one of the hospitals in the city, and ran into Jack when we had this case of people coming in boneless, but somehow still alive. Of course, they died soon after, which was just a horrific way to go, really.”  
“Boneless?” he repeated as she swabbed his arm and then inserted a needle with efficient fingers.  
“Some kind of alien who could suck the bones and all calcium out of a person’s body without even breaking the skin. I was pretty much one of the only medical staff not freaking out—I mean, what good would that have done? Those people needed help. After Jack dealt with the alien, he came back and offered me a job.”  
“I’m guessing you’ve seen worse things than aliens sucking bones out since then.”  
She shrugged as she swapped out the hollow end of the needle to get a second blood sample. “Just as bad, not necessarily worse.”  
She withdrew the needle from his arm and pressed a small square of cotton over the puncture wound. “Hold here for a second.”  
“Love to.” He held up his cuffed wrists to remind her he couldn’t.  
“Oh, sorry.”  
“Here, let me.” The Doctor came over and pressed her fingers into the crook of his elbow as Lydia turned away, grabbing a pen to write on the small labels of the samples.  
“Torchwood certainly seems to have a way of persisting,” The Doctor commented, as though that wasn’t necessarily a good thing.  
“Jack is a pretty persistent person,” he told her with a sharp smile.  
“You can let that go now.” Lydia returned and took the small square of cotton away from his elbow. “If you’ll step back, Doctor, I just need to perform a full body scan. Ianto, please stay as still as possible.”  
He nodded and then laid back against the raised head of the examination gurney. Lydia went over to the nearby bench and grabbed some kind of square device and then came back to his side. A long, thin line of light beamed from whatever the gadget was. She started at his feet and slowly shifted upward until it scanned over his face. It was ridiculous, but his heart skipped in his chest with nervous anticipation. What if they found some kind of anomaly even he didn’t know about, and then didn’t believe he was himself?  
“Okay, all done,” Lydia announced.  
He sat up and then shifted to sit on the edge of the gurney. “How long will it take to get the results?”  
“Not sure,” Lydia replied breezily, but she was avoiding his gaze. She knew exactly how long, she just didn’t want to tell him.  
She tapped at her ear where she presumably had a comm. “I’ve got what I need, Gwen.”  
A moment later, Gwen returned, all but stomping down the steps. “Alright, you two, come with me.”  
“Now where are we going?” he asked, sliding down from the gurney.  
“Vaults,” Gwen replied in a tight voice, like she was expecting a fight. Which he was bloody well going to give her.  
“You are not locking us up. We haven’t done anything wrong. Run all the tests you want, but I’m not setting foot in the vaults with the weevils. That’s where I draw the line.”  
Truthfully, if Gwen wanted to force them into the vaults, there wasn’t a damn thing he could do about it. But he’d really had enough of this. It was bad enough walking around in handcuffs, he refused to be locked up as well.  
Gwen stared at them, clearly weighing up her decision. Finally, she blew out a long sigh. “Fine. I’ll put you in the conference room. I won’t lock the door, as long as you promise not to go anywhere.”  
Relief flowed through him and he held up his hands. “I promise, we won’t do anything.”  
“Speak for yourself,” The Doctor murmured sideways at him.  
He cut her a quick frown. “Really not helping right now.”  
Gwen led them up the stairs, and then cut left across to the conference room, where it had always overlooked the lower levels.  
“I’ll be watching you,” Gwen told them as she went around and opened all the blinds, leaving the windows clear. The Doctor started a lap of the room, checking out the bits and pieces sitting around; case files, aerial photos of somewhere, deactivated minor alien tech. A lot of things in the hub might have been new, but it was still so much Torchwood, leaving him feeling a little better about things.  
The glass doors swung closed and Gwen jogged back down the steps, crossing to Jack’s office. Once inside, she made herself at home, taking out her mobile phone and dropping to sit in the chair.  
“Well this has been loads of fun.” He went over and sat in one of the chairs, then set his elbows against the top of the table and rested his forehead against his hands. A headache had been threatening for ages, the pain gradually becoming more niggling.  
“It could have been worse.” The Doctor replied off-handedly from wherever she was on the other side of the room.  
“Really. Could it? How could it have possibly been worse?” He shut his eyes as the pain tightened, like a nail going into his skull.  
“Gwen could have shot you.” Her voice sounded closer, and then he heard the sound of the chair next to him scooting across the floor. “Are you okay?”  
“Just a headache. Probably stress.” He took a deep breath, forcing the ache back as he opened his eyes. “I just hope they’ve made up their minds before Jack gets back from wherever he is.”  
The Doctor glanced out the windows towards Jack’s office, presumably at Gwen.  
“Yes, hopefully we can get this nonsense sorted quickly and get on with the real problem—finding out what the Timeless are planning before it’s too late.”


	4. Chapter 4

Nearly an hour went by in which The Doctor studied everything she could see within the Torchwood offices from her limited vantage point—they had stumbled across some interesting things, presumably having fallen through the rift—while Ianto sat at the conference table with his cheek resting in his hand and his eyes closed. He might have dozed off at one stage, but he hadn’t fallen into a deep sleep.

The poor dear looked exhausted, and considering everything he’d been through in the past twenty-four-hours, it probably wasn’t surprising.

Across the other side of the hub, Lydia came up from the medical area carrying a folder and headed over to Gwen in Jack’s office. Gwen stood when she entered and took the folder from her, flicking it open.

Lydia spent a few moments explaining, as Gwen shook her head, looking more and more shocked.

“Uh, Ianto. I think your results might be in,” she said over her shoulder.

She heard his chair scrape softly across the floor and then he was beside her a moment later. By then, Gwen was running across the gangway toward the conference room.

“Oh, ballocks. She doesn’t look happy.” He turned to face her, panic in his gaze. “What if they found something? What if they don’t believe it’s me?”

She grabbed him on both upper arms, trying to settle him. “Then I’ll get us out of here. I won’t let them hurt you.”

The doors flung open and Gwen came barrelling in, going straight for Ianto. He held up his cuffed hands as if he was going to fend her off.

“Gwen, whatever it is, just listen to— _oomph_.”

Gwen landed hard against him, arms wrapping tight around his shoulders and neck.

“Oh my God, oh my God. It’s really you. You’re _alive_!” She was half-sobbing, half-laughing.

“Yep, it’s me,” Ianto replied in a strangled voice. “I’d really love to hug you back, but I’m kind of tied up at the moment. Also, I can’t breathe.”

“Sorry!” Gwen pulled back. “Sorry, I’m sorry, Ianto. But I had to check, I had to be sure.”

She pulled a key out of her pocket, but her hands were shaking so much, it took three tries for her to unlock the cuffs. Once they were free, she dropped them to the floor and enveloped Ianto in another hug, this time making a happy noise when he hugged her back, lifting her off her feet for a brief moment.

“Jack is going to lose his mind when he sees you.” She pulled back and smacked a kiss into his cheek, before finally letting him go. “And Doctor, I don’t know how you did it, or how we can ever thank you enough.”

Gwen came over to her and quickly unlocked the cuffs. When she was done, Gwen gave her a swift hug. “I’m sorry about all this. We just can’t be too sure these days.”

“It’s fine,” she replied with a dismissive wave of her hand. “I could have escaped them any time I’d wanted.”

“You what?” Ianto demanded in a low voice.

“Never mind that. Where’s the captain? We really need to explain what’s going on.”

“Jack’s flying back from America. He’s on a dark flight. His plane should be landing any minute now, so he’ll be back within the hour,” Gwen answered.

“What’s a dark flight?” Ianto asked, rubbing his wrists where the cuffs had been.

“No flight plan lodged with the authorities, no contact in or out of the plane. It’s so no one can track or find him.”

Ianto raised his eyebrows. “I know we’ve always had trust issues, but that seems a little excessive.”

“Like I said, we can’t be too careful these days. There’s a group who call themselves Invictus. Supposedly freelance, but we suspect that actually work for the Russian government. They find or steal alien tech and then work out ways to turn things into weapons. We’ve had a lot of problems with them. They’ve killed Jack at least half a dozen times.”

“I bet Jack’s loving them,” Ianto commented dryly.

Gwen nodded with a quick, cynical smile. “There’s been more than one occasion when we’ve been out to acquire an alien artefact and he’s changed the objective mid-mission just to attempt to stop or catch them. Between you and me, they’re really starting to get under his skin. And they seem to have a knack in finding us. Always bloody turning up when we least expect them.”

“And why was Jack in America?” The Doctor asked, a bit like a third wheel in their catch-up conversation.

An almost sheepish expression crossed Gwen’s face. “Well, you see, we sort of sometimes work with the CIA now.”

“Okay, that I _can’t_ believe,” Ianto replied. “How in the world did that come about?”

“It’s a long story. And I’ll tell you, but first, come and meet the rest of the team.” Gwen took Ianto’s arm and led him out of the conference room, leaving The Doctor to follow behind them. By the time they’d walked down the few steps to the main office area, a group of four people had gathered, including Lydia.

“Everyone,” Gwen said stopping in front of them. “You’ve all heard Jack and I talk about Ianto Jones. I never thought I’d say this, but I want you all to meet him. I don’t know how, but the Doctor saved him and brought him back to us.”

Ianto ducked his head, cheeks a little flushed, obviously not used to getting this kind of attention.

“Maybe we could not make such a big deal of it, Gwen.”

“Nonsense.” Gwen patted his arm. “You’re lucky I’m not throwing you a bloody ticker-tape parade. Now, you already met Lydia. Next, we have Tyler. He doesn’t actually work for us, he just helps us out with some hacking every now and then.”

“And hangs around here unnecessarily,” the older gentleman they’d met in the tourist office grumbled.

“Hey, I bring biscuits,” Tyler shot back.

“Not always. And hardly ever good ones.”

“This is Mr. Colchester,” Gwen said with a fond smile, as if she found the man’s gruffness endearing. “He helped us get Torchwood up and running again, and pretty much held it together with spit and polish after the hub got blown up and we didn’t have the funds to fix it right away.”

“Jack might have accessed some money—no doubt from dubious sources—but it hasn’t changed the way this place is put together,” Mr Colchester said, and though it sounded like a complaint, there was a hint of warmth to his words, as if he actually really like the shambles that was the hub. It tended to do that to a person after a while though.

The first few months here, it had driven him crazy, never quite able to organize and clean everything, like the rift was somehow keeping the hub in a permanent state of disarray. But after a while, he’d found comfort in it.

 “Next to Mr Colchester is Orr,” Gwen motioned to the willowy, tall blond woman. She stepped forward and held out her hand.

“It is customary to shake hands when meeting new people.” There was an odd, almost metallic lilt to her voice.

Ianto automatically took her hand, and as soon as their skin made contact, her form kind of shimmered and shifted. She changed right in front of him. Changed into Jack. He dropped her hand in shock and stepped back as Gwen laughed.

“Sorry, it is a function of my design I cannot control all the time.” Orr said with not-quite Jack’s voice. A moment later she changed back to the blond woman.

“Orr is a genetically engineered sexual psychomorph,” Gwen said like that was supposed to mean something. “They change to become whatever you desire most. Which, unsurprisingly for you Ianto—”

“Oh, you were created by the Sorvix!” The Doctor said stepping forward to take Orr’s hand. The form shimmered, but didn’t change. “I’ve never met one of you before. Heard a lot, obviously but… blimey, aren’t you just gorgeous?”

“Thank you.” Orr inclined their head. “And you are quite fine looking also for your species.”

The Doctor laughed and winked at Orr. “Of course, you’re going to say that.”

Jack had certainly collected an interesting group of people to run Torchwood these days.

“This is The Doctor.” Gwen told Orr, but included the others in her introduction. “Not exactly The Doctor I was expecting to see, but she’s still the same person. Kind of. It’s hard to explain.”

“Regeneration can be confusing, believe me. Nothing like waking up in a totally different body. The only saving grace is I haven’t woken up ginger yet.”

“I can somewhat sympathize, Doctor,” Orr said.

“Oh, sorry. Yes, very true.” The Doctor sent her an understanding glance. “You can find yourself changing bodies a dozen times a day. Tiring work, I imagine.”

“Sometimes, yes. I am getting a little better at controlling it these days.”

Gwen clapped her hands together. “Right. Now that we’ve got that sorted, back to work you lot.”

They all moved off, going to various work stations, while Lydia returned to the lower medical area. Once there, she glanced back up at Ianto, and something seemed to flit across her expression.

Gwen turned to them, mood all chipper. “Now, Ianto, I think it might be time for a coffee.”

He nodded, almost like it was automatic. “You still take it—”

“I’m not going to let you make it, you great clod.” Gwen laughed. “Come on, I’ll show you what we eventually replaced you with.”

“Why do I not like the sound of that?” Ianto muttered.

Gwen led them to a kind of kitchenette off to one side, separated from the main office area with a metal bench stacked with cups, glasses, a few plates and other bits and pieces. There was quite the collection of tea, neatly arranged, which stood out from the rest of the haphazardly organised area.

While Gwen pointed out the slim looking coffee machine, The Doctor stood at the end of the bench and watched the Torchwood staff going about their work, although something seemed to be bugging Lydia. The Doctor’s curiosity was well and truly piqued.

“You’re telling me you get coffee from this little pod. And it actually tastes fine?” Ianto demanded, sounding highly insulted. “Gwen, you don’t even have a proper milk frother. What the bloody hell is wrong with you?”

Gwen laughed. “Well, what else were we supposed to do without you? Jack considered hiring another coffeeboy, but no one would have made it for him like you did, Ianto. And actually, for a lot of years, we didn’t even have this coffee machine. Mr Colchester prefers tea, so we’ve mostly been drinking that the past few years.”

Ianto pointed a chiding finger at her. “First thing tomorrow, we’re taking Jack’s credit card and going to buy a real coffee machine.”

“Alright, calm down then.” Gwen poked him in the shoulder, leaving him laughing for the first time since she’d revived him from the virus in the gymnasium.

As the pair started making the coffees, The Doctor returned her attention to the Torchwood staff. Lydia had come up to speak with Orr and was snatching glances in the direction of the kitchenette every so often, almost like she was apprehensive about something.

Hmm, things were afoot here, if she wasn’t mistaken.

Whatever the case, she didn’t like the sound of the group calling themselves Invictus. Another piece of the Timeless puzzle shifting into place? Or what it seemed on the surface and nothing more—greedy humans making foolish decisions about technology they didn’t understand?

The only thing she knew for sure right now was that while the Timeless had Jack and Ianto in their sights, she wouldn’t be going anywhere.

“Just what I needed,” she murmured to herself. “An extended holiday on Earth.”


	5. Chapter 5

“You’re right,” Ianto told Gwen after sipping the coffee. “It’s not that bad. If you like drinking motor oil.”

“Go on, you.” She laughed and pushed him lightly in the shoulder. Taking her coffee, she went and sat down at a small rectangular table that had six chairs positioned carelessly around it. He left his coffee on the sink and poured himself a glass of water instead, before going over to join her.

Gwen was watching The Doctor, who’d helped herself to a snack packet of nuts and wandered back to the computer consoles examining some piece of equipment.

“So she saved you, The Doctor. And then you went travelling in that—what does she call it?”

“The TARDIS. Yep, we went five hundred years into the future. I’m not even going to begin to tell you what I saw. You’ll never believe me.” He smiled at her, but then couldn’t hold the expression, his thoughts churning around his mind too much. “How’s he been? How was he after I—you know, I was gone.”

Gwen ran a hand through her hair, expression becoming tense. “I’ll tell you the truth, Ianto. He wasn’t great, not for a long time. It wasn’t only you he lost that day. His grandson died as well.”

His heart bumped against the inside of his chest at the thought of the devastation Jack must have felt. “But I thought all the children survived.”

The Doctor had let him check a few major events of the past nine years on the TARDIS computer, and the day he’d died had been the first thing he’d looked up, needing to know what had happened to all those kids. That his niece and nephew were okay.

Gwen clasped her hands tightly on the table. “They did, because Jack used his own grandson against them. Jack killed him. Sacrificed one to save the many.”

“No.” He could barely comprehend how Jack had made that choice, let alone gone through with it. Emotion thickened the back of his throat and he swallowed. “Then what happened?”

Gwen shrugged, blinking back tears, though she forced a sad smile. “He felt like he didn’t have anything left, you see. Like he couldn’t be here anymore. He left me, left Earth altogether. I didn’t see him again for eighteen months. Not until Miracle Day.”

“I read something about that.” He tried to remember the details, something about no one in the world being able to die. “I assume you and Jack had something to do with fixing it?”

Gwen gave a cynical laugh. “Oh, we fixed it, alright. There are things about that you need to know. But first, Ianto, I have to tell you—”

She rubbed her fingers along the bottom of her coffee cup, avoiding his gaze.

God, whatever she had on her mind, he wasn’t going to like it. It was going to be bad.

“What is it? Just spit it out, Gwen.”

“It’s about Jack.” She finally looked up and met his gaze. He could see it in her eyes, see how much she didn’t want to say the words. How she thought she was about to hurt him.

The bottom dropped out of his stomach. Because out of everything he’d considered in knowing he was skipping ahead nine years, this was the one thing he hadn’t thought of.

“He’s seeing someone else, isn’t he?” The words didn’t come out at much more than a whisper.

God, how could he have been so dumb? Of course Jack was seeing someone else. Jack had never been his and never truly would. Not when time stood between them.

“It’s not serious.” Gwen held up a hand as if to reassure him. Like anything could make this better. “But the thing is, it’s with Lydia.”

Gwen nodded her chin toward the mezzanine and he turned to look where the woman in question stood talking to Orr near the workstations. He couldn’t be angry at Jack for moving on, for finding something with someone else. But that didn’t make it hurt any less.

“Smart and beautiful. Just Jack’s type.” The words sounded hollow. He turned back to face Gwen, mind racing, trying to keep his expression neutral. 

“But I don’t think it’s serious, Ianto. They’re not together, not like you and Jack were. They’ve just shagged a few times, that’s all.”

“Exactly how Jack and I started out. I told him I didn’t want a relationship, just casual sex. But I was lying to myself. There’s nothing casual about Jack. Once he’s held you in his arms, the way he looks at you when—”

He couldn’t finish, he had to close his eyes and shove the memories away before they broke him.

“And Ianto—” She avoided his gaze again.

“And?” What else could she possibly have to tell him?

“He’s also shagged Tyler. A few times when they first met. But that was over a year ago and—”

“And Orr?”

“Not Orr.” She glanced away, something close to embarrassment creeping across her features.

“ _You_?” he demanded, unable to believe it. “But what about Rhys—”

“It wasn’t like that. You know Rhys is my everything. It’s a long story, but we were both under alien influence at the time. Believe me, I would never have done it if I’d been in control.”

“Maybe you should just tell me who he _hasn’t_ slept with.” The words came out angrier than he wanted them to be. Jack had never been a saint and he definitely didn’t expect him to stop living or change who he was in the last nine years. But that didn’t mean he wanted to hear about it. He dragged a hand over his face, pushing the antagonism and pain of it down. It’d only been a day for him and he still loved Jack more than he’d ever loved anyone, but for Jack it’d been almost a decade. He didn’t have any right to feel betrayed over it. He was the one who’d left, not Jack. Even though it hadn’t been his choice.

“Ianto, he’s been through a lot. That’s not an excuse, it’s just a fact. It’s like he’s been adrift, without an anchor. Truthfully, he’s taken a lot more risks and been too impulsive lately. He’s not the same Jack as ten years ago when it was you, me, Tosh and Owen.”

“I didn’t expect him to be.” At least that’s what he’d told himself. Except it sounded like Jack had gone to extremes, practically crashing off the rails.

“I’m sorry to just dump it on you, Ianto. But I had to tell you before Jack got here. I’m sorry for Lydia as well, but I really don’t think she’ll want to stand in the way of you two. She knows how much you meant to Jack.”

“Right. You just said it. How much I _meant_ to him. Past tense. Because it’s been almost ten years and he’s had time to move on. But for me, it was only yesterday. A single day and everything I knew, everything I had is gone.”

 “Oh, Ianto.” Gwen reached over and took his hand in hers. “Please, don’t go jumping to any conclusions until you’ve spoken to Jack.”

He glanced away from her, focusing on The Doctor. His worst fear; that there wasn’t a place for him at Torchwood anymore. He’d never imagined doing anything else, being anywhere else. And once he and Jack had actually committed to one another, he’d couldn’t imagine spending his life with anyone else. But that was before. An entire different reality had unfolded without him. In this scenario, he was the anomaly, the one out of their time who didn’t belong. The cosmic joke was on him, because he’d become exactly the kind of case Torchwood usually _dealt with_.  

Maybe he should leave before Jack got here and things got even harder. Just tell The Doctor he’d go with her on the TARDIS and they could figure out the threat of the Timeless together while Jack stayed here and kept getting on with his life like he’d been doing for the past nine years.

He pushed to his feet, a low swell of panic rising inside him. “This was a mistake. I shouldn’t be here. I wasn’t meant to be here. I’m meant to be dead.”

Gwen hurried to get up and come around the table. “Ianto, don’t you say that. You know it’s not right.”

“I have no idea what’s right any longer.”

Gwen squeezed his hand, trying to look reassuring, but he could see the doubt in her eyes. “We’ll figure something out, we always do.”

The blast door shifted and clicked, rolling open and Gwen glanced over her shoulder. Voices drifted from up on the mezzanine, and one of them was so achingly familiar, it made his breath catch in his chest.

“He’s here.” Gwen let go of him and hurried out of the kitchenette, around the bottom of the water tower that blocked direct sight to the blast door where Jack had just come in.

Ianto took a moment, drawing a long inhale and trying to get his emotions under control. With measured steps, he walked out of the kitchenette, around the water tower to the bottom of the steps, stopping a little way back. The rest of the Torchwood staff had gathered up on the mezzanine where the computer consoles were, Jack still standing near the blast doors, phone to his ear, disagreeing with someone about something. In his other hand he was carrying some kind of silver case. The Doctor was nowhere to be seen.

Jack finished on the phone with a curse. “Someone make a memo. The new director of the CIA is a dick.”

He shoved his phone in his pocket and then started up the few stairs to the mezzanine. “And remind me not to go back to the States for at least six months. That trip was like spending a week in the seventh level of purgatory where you’re tortured with endless boring meetings and red tape.”

“Sounds like you need a coffee, sir.” Ianto couldn’t help himself, he had to say it as he slowly climbed the steps. Just like old times.

“That’d be great, Ianto. Thanks.” Jack jerked to a stop and the case he was holding slipped out of his hand to land on the floor with a _thunk_. By the time Jack spun around to face him, he had his gun out and pointed at him.

“What the hell is going on here?”

Gwen rushed over to Ianto’s side and held a cautioning hand out toward Jack.

“I know this is a lot to take in, Jack. But it’s really him. We’ve run every possible test. It’s not a trick, it’s really Ianto.”

“Ianto?” Jack’s voice came out hoarse and disbelieving, those piercing blue eyes of his growing wet with unshed tears. The gun wavered and lowered before he slowly put the weapon away, watching him warily. “How?”

 “It was The Doctor.” Gwen tugged his arm and led him forward, even though part of him didn’t want to get any closer. Because if he got closer, he would want to touch him. And if he touched him, then he would have to hug him. And that wouldn’t be enough. He’d have to kiss him and breathe him in. Except he didn’t know if Jack wanted any of that with him anymore, and he didn’t think he could handle it if Jack rejected him. It would break him in a way nothing else ever had.

“The Doctor saved him,” Gwen repeated as they stopped right in front of Jack. She let him go and shifted back, while Jack stared at him, shocked, totally at a loss, clearly no idea what he was supposed to do with him.

“It’s really you?” Jack whispered. He shifted closer, reaching up to set a palm against his cheek. Jack’s next exhale was ragged, as though he hadn’t truly believed he would be solid flesh and blood. The simple touch shuddered all the way through Ianto, making his heart beat too hard and fast.

Except in his peripheral he could see Lydia and Tyler staring at them and it all seemed so wrong. He remembered how uncomfortable he’d felt any time one of Jack’s many ex-lovers had come up, even just in conversation. How searing it’d been when Captain John Hart had turned up and played havoc with their lives.

Remembering John Hart made a spike of pain lance through his head, sent his stomach churning, made his breath hard to catch. He pulled away from Jack and took a step back.

Without a word, he turned and walked across the mezzanine, no direction in mind, but somehow ended up in Jack’s office. Or course. When he reached the desk, he braced his hands against the edge, trying to catch his breath, like there wasn’t enough air in the hub.

It didn’t help that his head was throbbing and chest was aching like his heart was slowly, but surely expanding to exploding point. Tears dropped down his cheeks, and he used the back of his hand to wipe them away, but it was no use, because they just kept coming, like someone had turned on a faucet and left it running.

“Ianto?” Jack’s voice sounded from just behind him.

“Don’t Jack, please. I can’t. This was a mistake. I should have realized I wouldn’t belong here. I never should have let The Doctor bring me.”

Jack grabbed his shoulders and roughly pulled him around face-to-face, and then held him when he would have shaken him off.

“Don’t you _dare_ say that. Do you know how many nights I lay awake, praying to a God I don’t even believe in, telling whoever was listening that I would do _anything_ to have you back again? How I left Earth to search the galaxy for a way to go back in time and save you, or bring you back from the dead, or create an alternate reality. I would have torn apart the very fabric of the universe if it’d meant getting you back.”

“Jack—” His voice broke over the word, and then he couldn’t get anything else out.

“I’ve never loved anyone the way I love you, Ianto Jones. So if you think for one minute that you don’t belong here, or I’m ever letting you out of my sight again, then you’re sorely mistaken.”

“Gwen told me.” He swallowed over the thickness of his tongue. “She told me about Lydia. And Tyler. She probably would have given me a list if I’d asked.”

Jack blew out a hard breath and glanced away from him. “I’m not saying it’s going to be easy. That’s a conversation I need to have with you and her. Tyler’s—whatever. That doesn’t matter. But, Ianto, it doesn’t change anything. You’re back, and no matter what I have to do, I will _not_ lose you again.”

“Oh God, I’ve missed you.” He shifted forward, meeting Jack half way, coming up against each other.

Jack gave a laugh that sounded suspiciously like a sob. “You’re telling me.”

For a perfect, long moment, they held on to one another tightly, barely even breathing. But then Jack’s lips brushed his jaw. Ianto exhaled unsteadily, and shifted back the slightest bit, only far enough to trail his nose lightly over Jack’s cheek until he found his lips, sealing their mouths together.

Jack’s hand cupped the back of his neck as the kiss deepened, but it wasn’t desperate and out of control, it was full of measure and aching emotion. It speared through his heart and right into his soul in a way only Jack had ever been able to do. Jack had said he’d never loved anyone like this, and it was the same for him. He’d never believed in soul mates and destiny, but the things Jack made him feel, it almost convinced him all that mystical stuff was true.

When they finally broke the kiss, both breathing unsteadily, he opened his eyes to find tears running down Jack’s face. But he looked happier than Ianto could ever remember seeing him. 

“What Gwen said was true, The Doctor saved you?” Jack ran his hands over his shoulders, like he was still trying to make sure he was real. “Is he still here? I need to hug him.”

“About that—”

A sharp spike of pain cut through his head, the headache returning, but worse than ever. This time though, it didn’t flare and immediately fade away, it just kept going, intensifying, until he could barely see straight.

He fisted one hand into Jack’s coat, holding on as he pressed the palm of his other hand against his forehead. It honest to God felt like his head was going to explode.

“Ianto?” Jack’s tone sounded worried, and like it was coming from far away. “Ianto, what’s wrong?”

He couldn’t answer, the pain was white-washing every thought. His knees buckled and he started to go down, but Jack caught him against his chest and then lowered them both to the floor.

“Someone get Lydia in here. _Now_!” Jack shouted over his shoulder. “Ianto, just stay with me, okay? I can’t do this again. This time you have to stay with me.”

He tried to answer, but the white-hot pain was giving way to darkness, and he couldn’t find the energy to fight it.


	6. Chapter 6

The Doctor had found her way into a kind of archive room where shelves displayed harmless or deactivated alien artefacts. Some of it must have been recovered after the explosion; the scorch marks or damage was obvious. But a lot of it simply would have been things they’d collected over the past nine years.

“Doctor!” Gwen’s voice sounded from just outside the door, a tone of desperation to the single word that sent her running out to see what was going on.

“What’s wrong?” she asked almost breathlessly when she found Gwen.

“It’s Ianto. Something’s happened to him.” Gwen was already turning to run back toward the central hub as she finished saying the words.

The Doctor sprinted after her, finding Jack sitting on the floor of his office with Ianto in his arms. Lydia was checking his pupils with a small penlight.

“What happened?” She knelt down next to Lydia and yanked her sonic screwdriver out to scan him.

“Excuse me, but who the hell are you?” Jack demanded, protectively pulling Ianto closer to himself.

 “Really, Jack, pay attention.” She held up her sonic screwdriver for him to see.

“ _Doctor_?”

The surprise on his face would have been priceless if she hadn’t been so busy worrying about what was wrong with Ianto.

“But you’re—what happened?”

“Just my latest regeneration, nothing to get in a tizz over.” She checked the readings on the sonic screwdriver. Ianto was unconscious, no sign of the virus still in his system or any other anomaly that would have caused him to pass out. That was worrying enough in itself. Nothing meant something beyond her usual scope of experience. Because people didn’t pass out for no reason.

“Did he say anything before he collapsed?” She adjusted a setting on her screwdriver and tried again, but frustratingly, still got no readings out of the ordinary.

“He said his head hurt and then he just went down.” Jack smoothed a hand over Ianto’s brow, as if that alone could take the pain away.

“Let’s get him down to the medical area.” Lydia got to her feet and stepped back while Jack stood and lifted Ianto in his arms.

“You didn’t find anything unusual when you ran those test before?” Gwen asked Lydia as they walked side-by-side, following after Jack.

“Nothing at all to indicate he was unwell,” Lydia answered. “Don’t worry, we’ll figure it out, I’m sure he’ll be fine.”

Down in the circular medical area, Jack laid Ianto down on the same examination bed as earlier, but didn’t move away. He took Ianto’s hand, fixing a look on concentration on Lydia as she started accessing her equipment right away.

Lydia used the same laser as earlier to scan him, watching the readings come up on the screen. She scanned him twice, but then shook her head.

“All it’s telling me is that he’s unconscious. There’s nothing physically wrong with him that would have caused this.”

“So, he just… fainted?” Gwen asked, sounding a little incredulous.

Lydia shrugged. “I don’t know what else to tell you.”

“No, that’s not it.” Jack shook his head vehemently. “You didn’t see him. He was in serious pain before he passed out. There’s got to be something. Maybe something going on with his brain that normal scans can’t pick up.”

“Oh, no.” At her utterance, everyone in the room turned to look at her.

“Doctor, do you know something?” Jack asked, a glint in his eyes like maybe he was starting to think this was all her fault.

“Before we came here, we were on this planet where they had this temple with a shrine—The shrine doesn’t matter. But unfortunately, I lost track of Ianto for just a little while.”

Jack straightened, expression definitely edging toward anger. “What do you mean you _lost track_ of him. Where was he?”

“The people running the temple were just a touch enamoured with him. They took him and when I found him, he was strapped down to a table and there was some kind of apparatus about to perform some very unhygienic brain surgery. I thought I stopped it before it did anything, but now I’m worried—”

“That some aliens have been experimenting on his brain?” Jack demanded, his voice going up several notches

“To be fair, they were human. Future humans, anyway.”

 “We need to put him into the vitaenoid skimmer.” Jack cut a look at Lydia that said he expected no arguments.

Well, that was a serious piece of equipment. Where in the world could they have gotten one of those from?

“Jack, you can’t!” Gwen burst out with, rounding the examination table to stand in front of him. “You know what happened to the last person we put in there.”

“Lydia’s been studying it, she’s got a better idea of how to use it now.”

And apparently, they didn’t have a clue how to use said serious piece of equipment.

“I know how to operate it,” she said, which effectively ended Gwen and Jack’s stare-down. “I mean, it’s been, oh, I don’t know, six hundred years since I last saw one. But it’s probably like riding a bike. If I knew how to ride a bike.”

“It’s settled then.” Jack leaned down and gathered Ianto in his arms again.

“Jack, I don’t think this is a good idea,” Gwen told him, even though she stepped out of his way. 

“The Doctor said he—she knows how to use it. We need answers and this is the only way we’re going to get them.”

Jack didn’t even bother waiting for anyone, but left the medical suite and went up the steps to the main part of the hub, and then headed for the elevator beyond the blast door. They piled on and went down two floors.

“Archives,” Jack said by way of explanation as they stepped off the elevator.

Several corridors ran off from the elevator, but they went left and walked through the first door into a kind of lab. The vitaenoid skimmer sat powered down under lights in the middle of the room. It was like a huge round ribcage of some animal, but sleeker, made from a glistening white metal.

While Jack gently laid Ianto down on the trolley that slid into the skimmer, she went over and tapped the control panel to life. Right away, several errors showed up on the screen.

“Well, this won’t do.” She frowned as she began sorting out the fault codes.

“What’s wrong?” Jack came over to stand next to her.

“It’s like someone set a monkey loose on a computer and let it touch any buttons it wanted. No offense, Lydia.” She shot the girl an apologetic look before returning her attention to the screen.

“None taken.” Lydia held up a hand. “I’m fully aware it was way over my head.”

Jack crossed his arms. “So, can you fix it.”

“Going to take a minute,” she mumbled, working through the information. There was one error in particular that kept repeating because— “Ah, this will be your problem.”

She got down on her knees and popped a panel out from the bottom of the console. Grabbing a handful of wires, she pulled them out, and stuck her face in so she could see closer.

“Someone rerouted the biometrics oscillator through the secondary plasma sequencer.”

“I literally have no idea what you just said,” Jack replied from above her.

She finished fixing it and then held out a hand so he could pull her up to her feet.

“In other words, it was already broken when you found it. Assuming you found it.”

Jack shrugged one shoulder with a suave grin. “Found. Stole. They’re basically the same thing, right?”

She sent him an exasperated look, but didn’t reply, turning her attention back to the screen. This time everything was as it should be—no more errors to be seen. With a few commands input, the machine came to life in a rainbow of light beams. The trolley where Ianto lay motionless slid smoothly into the unit and it began whirring, sounding like the wings of a humming bird. For all the practical uses, it was an absolutely gorgeous machine.

After a few moments, it projected a holograph on the outer side of the unit showing a representation of Ianto’s internal systems. Everything looked normal, apart from a small, pulsing orange light in the middle of his brain.

“What do we have here?” She stepped away from the control console and walked over to it, reaching out to extract the small light from the rest of the holograph and then expanded it.

Her breath caught when she finally recognized it. God, she hadn’t stopped that apparatus from its function after all. But she hadn’t recognized it for what it was. The device had been so much more advanced than the last one she’d seen.

“What is it?” Jack asked from behind her. She’d almost forgotten anyone else was in the room.

“A biochip.” She swallowed after she said the words, mind racing as she tried to figure out the implications of this. She’d thought she’d thwarted the Timeless back in the temple, but they’d been one step ahead of her. Damn it, they were a million steps ahead of her at this point.

Nothing much had truly scared her over the long years she’d lived, but this thing with the Timeless was starting to dig into her fears on a level few others had achieved.

“What’s a biochip and why couldn’t we see it on our own medical imaging machines?” Lydia asked.

“Too advanced. Your devices would simply see it as part of normal brain tissue. And it kind of is. The chip itself is created out of his own brain matter, but the design is entirely alien.”

Jack shifted around until he was standing in her peripheral vision. “How the hell do we get it out of him?”

“Truthfully, I don’t know if there is a way. Not without killing him or causing severe brain damage.”

“Jesus Christ,” Gwen muttered.

“But what’s the point of it?” Lydia asked. “What’s it doing?”

“They’re usually used for some form of subliminal mind control. As in, the person is being told what to do, but they don’t realize it. They think it’s their own ideas, their own thoughts and desires.”

“Are you kidding me?” Jack’s voice rose higher over each word. “Someone is controlling his mind?”

“I don’t know. It’s possible I stopped the device before it could finish the procedure. It might have been implanted, but not activated. He seemed to be himself, didn’t he?”

Jack muttered a curse under his breath, pacing away from her.

She went back to the control console and shut down the machine, leaving the trolley to slide back out again. Jack walked over to Ianto’s side and stared down at him, smoothing a hand over his hair.

“We’re going to find a way to fix this.”

No one said anything, though Gwen and Lydia did look at The Doctor like they expected her to have some kind of answer. There were a few leads she could probably follow up, but none of them were on Earth, and not even in this century.

Ianto groaned, shifting like he was coming around. Jack leaned over him, cupping a hand against his cheek.

“Ianto, can you hear me?”

The Doctor stepped closer, just as Ianto blinked open his eyes, focusing on Jack.

“Hey,” Jack said gently. “You had me worried for a second there.”

Ianto swallowed, gaze fixed on Jack, not looking anywhere else, like there was nothing else in the world.

“Jack?”

Jack leaned in closer. “What is it?”

Ianto moved suddenly, reaching up to yank the gun from the holster on Jack’s belt.

Jack froze as Ianto shoved it against the middle of his chest and cocked it.

“I have to kill you now,” Ianto said reasonably and too calmly, like he was talking about the weather, not premeditated murder.

“Well,” Jack muttered. “I guess we know what the mind control chip is for.”


	7. Chapter 7

Jack straightened and backed a step away from Ianto. But he didn’t want Jack getting away from him, so he sat up and grabbed the collar of that coat he loved so much to hold him in place.

“Ianto, you don’t want to do this,” Jack said to him a low voice.

“You’re right,” he replied slowly. “I don’t want to. But I have to.”

His mind was sluggish, thoughts dancing just outside of his awareness, things he needed to know, but couldn’t quite catch, like butterflies flitting out of reach.

“Ianto, think about it.” The Doctor came up on his side and he turned to look at her. “Why do you have to kill Jack?”

“Doctor—” Jack’s voice held a note of warning, but the Doctor held up a hand to cut him off.

“Think about what you’re really doing and tell me.” She was focused on him intently. The Doctor had helped him, every moment since he’d met her. So he concentrated on what she was saying.

“I have to kill him, and then I have to take him.” The answer came from somewhere in his mind. He wasn’t sure where, just that it was the absolute single thing he wanted to do.

“Take him where?” The Doctor asked quietly.

He searched for a reply, but pain started radiating from the base of his skull.

“I don’t know.” He pressed a hand against his forehead as the ache wrapped around his head. “I just have to kill him and take him. I’ll work out the rest later.”

“That’s what he was doing right before he passed out,” Jack murmured, capturing his attention and zeroing his focus. Kill Jack. It was simple. His heart kicked against the inside of his chest, stomach feeling heavy, because something was wrong with that. But it didn’t matter if he killed Jack, he wouldn’t stay dead for long. So he’d just kill him again. And again. Until he could take him—

The pain spiked sharp and hard. He dropped the gun, hunching forward. It was like a fog blowing out of the bay on a clearing wind and suddenly his thoughts were vivid again.

“Oh God, what’s wrong with me?” He’d been a second away from shooting Jack and it had seemed completely reasonable. What the hell was going on?

“Ianto, you have a biochip in your head that’s controlling your thoughts. Though it doesn’t seem to be working properly,” The Doctor told him.

“What?” He lowered his hand and looked up at her, blinking when the light seemed too bright, like his eyes had become over-sensitized. “How?”

“Back in the temple, remember how I found you—”

“You mean that machine did something to me after all? Is that why I can’t remember what happened in that room?”

She gave a grim nod. “I’m sorry, I thought I stopped it in time. It seems I only interrupted it’s programming. I’m guessing that’s why it’s only working some of the time and you don’t know where you’re meant to take Jack. I interrupted it before it could complete its protocols.”

He glanced between The Doctor and Jack. “Is there a way to take it out?”

Jack’s features tightened as he looked at the Doctor. Ianto could tell just from his expression that the news wasn’t going to be good.

“Maybe.” The Doctor didn’t even sound sure about that. “But not here. Not on Earth, not in this time.”

“Oh God.” He dropped his head into his hands again. First, he’d died from an alien virus and then he’d had to come to terms with jumping nine years into the future and now he had some damned chip in his head that made him want to kill Jack? Christ, things couldn’t possibly get any worse, could they?

“Don’t worry, Ianto,” The Doctor said gently, rubbing his shoulder. “I’ll help you, even if we have to travel the entire universe, we’ll find a way to fix this.”

“And what, in the meantime I can’t be left alone with Jack in case I kill him and bundle him into the back of my car?”

“To be fair, you don’t actually have a car any longer,” Gwen put in from where she stood on the other side of the room. “We sold it after—well, you know. Sorry.”

“Just great.” He threw up his hands in exasperation. So much for any kind of happy reunion. Bloody Torchwood.

Jack shifted closer to him. “Hey, come on. It’s not that bad. I don’t care if you’ve got some chip in your head telling you to kill me. The fact is you had a gun pointed at my chest a minute ago and didn’t pull the trigger. You’re strong, Ianto. I know you can keep it under control.”

His gaze fixated on Jack’s eyes. He’d spent hours staring into those eyes, never getting tired of seeing them. He got to his feet, drawn forward like he was mesmerized until he came up against him. Jack’s hand landed on his hip and pulled him in so they were more firmly pressed together.

“Rightio, you two.” Gwen clapped her hands. “None of that, now. This is serious.”

“Yes, it is serious,” he murmured. He wanted—needed—

“Ianto,” Jack said in a low, unsteady voice.

He cupped a hand on either side of Jack’s face.

God, he just needed it so much.

“I’m sorry, Jack,” he whispered. A touch of confusion clouded Jack’s gaze a split second before he twisted, breaking his neck and catching him against his chest as he slumped.

“Whoa! Ianto!” Gwen shouted.

When he glanced at her, she had her gun out and pointed at him. The sight snapped him back and he suddenly realized what he’d done.

“Oh Jesus, no.” He lowered Jack to the ground, turning him over so he could see his face. “I didn’t mean to. I don’t know what happened. I just—”

“Get up and move away from him, Ianto.”

He looked up to see Gwen closing in on him with the gun still pointed.

The Doctor, however, stepped into Gwen’s line of fire, protecting him.

“Calm down, Gwen. Are you really going to shoot him? Jack is going to be fine, and I’m sure no one feels worse than Ianto right now.”

Gwen stared at The Doctor for a long moment before nodding and putting the gun away. Except she shoved her hand into a different pocket and pulled out another bloody pair of handcuffs.

“No,” he said when she looked pointedly at him. “No way.”

“Sorry, Ianto. It’s the only way we can make sure you don’t kill him again as soon as he wakes up.” She came forward, holding them out like she expected him to take them and cuff himself.

“Alright, you can put them on me. But after Jack wakes up.” He started to reach out for Jack, but Gwen closed the distance between them and snapped the cuff around his wrist.

“I think it’d be better if you didn’t touch Jack right now. Not until we get this chip situation sorted out, yeah?”

He relented, dropping his chin to his chest and closing his eyes as Gwen secured the cuff onto his other wrist. Damn it, why couldn’t things ever be straight forward around here? Was it too much to think he and Jack could get one week together were they weren’t killed, or dealing with an ex, or being forced apart by some ridiculous cosmic problem?

“I’ll look after him.”

Aaand his bad mood was complete as Lydia came over and knelt on Jack’s other side. For a brief, uncomfortable moment they looked at each other, before Lydia gently rested Jack’s head in her lap. It felt like his entire body caught fire. It was all he could do to sit there with his hands fisted and not say anything.

He clenched his jaw, hating everything and everyone in that moment.

Gwen reached down and took his arm to pull him to his feet. “Come on, let’s go have a chat, shall we?”

“But what about Jack?” He looked down at him as Gwen started leading him away, searching for any sign he was waking up.

“Jack is fine, Lydia will take care of him.”

Yep, exactly what he was afraid of. Just as they reached the doorway of the room, Jack came around with a long gasp, reaching up to catch Lydia’s arm. They stared at each other, but then Gwen tugged him out of sight so he didn’t see what happened next.

“You could have at least waited until he’d woken up.” He trudged along behind Gwen, pretty much making her drag him since he wasn’t in the mood to cooperate.

“And give you time to snap his neck again? No thank you. Seeing that once was enough.”

He wanted to say that he wouldn’t have done that, but even he knew it was a lie. He couldn’t trust himself right now, so he couldn’t expect anyone else to.

Gwen took him up in the elevator, back to the main hub and then returned him to the conference room. She got him to sit down in one of the chairs, and before he could work out her intentions, she’d snapped another cuff around his ankle and attached him to the leg of the table. And for some completely ridiculous reason, the table was bolted to the floor.

“Gwen!” He kicked his leg against the restraints.

“It’s for your own good, Ianto.” She back toward the doors. “Just try to stay calm, I’ll be back in a minute.”

“Gwen. Gwen!”

She completely ignored him to hurry out of the room. He slammed both fists down against the surface of the table, and then dropped his head to rest against it.

He felt like he’d fallen through the rift into an alternate reality where his life was some kind of nightmare. What the hell were they supposed to do about this? What if The Doctor couldn’t find a way to fix him? Was this it? No more him and Jack because he’d spend the rest of his life wanting to kill him over and over?

“Oh God.” And he thought he’d had problems when Lisa had been half-converted to a Cyberman and he’d been hiding her underneath the hub. There had to be a point where a person just gave up. How much more could he possibly take?


	8. Chapter 8

The Doctor crossed her arms, watching as Jack let go of Lydia and rolled to his feet. She’d witnessed him die and come back to life several times already, but she didn’t think she’d ever get used to seeing it.

“Where’s Ianto?” he asked, stretching his neck and shoulders like he was still sore. He looked expectantly at Lydia, but she didn’t answer.

“Gwen took him,” The Doctor replied since it didn’t seem like Lydia was going to say anything. “But before you go rushing up there, we need to talk.”

Jack started crossing the room, tossing her an impatient look. “If you want to talk to me, you’ll have to keep up.”

She rolled her eyes before hurrying to catch up with him. The man was still as stubborn and single-minded as ever.

“Jack, we need to take this problem seriously,” she told him as they reached the elevator.

“Oh, I am, believe me.” Jack irritably punched the button several times.

“This isn’t someone just messing around with you. The people behind this are an ancient race that the Timelords feared so much, they had them completely wiped out. At least they thought they had.”

Jack cut her a wary look. “I’m listening.”

“They’re called the Timeless and they believed they could achieve immortality by existing outside of time.”

“Yeah, except that’s impossible… isn’t it?”

“Truthfully, I don’t know. I would have thought so, but I very rarely completely dismiss anything as impossibility.”

He crossed his arms, expression tensing. “Okay, now you’re starting to worry me.”

“We should be worried. On the miniscule chance they actually succeeded, it could cause the very fabric of reality to collapse.”

“Destroying a single world isn’t enough anymore, huh? They’ve got to end the entire universe.” He shook his head in frustration. “What does all that have to do with the biochip in Ianto’s head and him being ordered to kill me?”

“It’s all conjecture, but it seems they want you, Jack, and knew Ianto was the best way to get to you.”

The elevator arrived and the doors opened to Gwen who looked like she was planning on going back down, but she stepped back when she saw him.

“Now, Jack.” She held up both hands, as if that would keep him at bay. “I think it’d be better if you and Ianto had a little time apart, don’t you?”

“We just spent nine years apart. If you think some damned chip is going to keep me away, you don’t know me very well.”

He brushed by her, heading for the conference room.

“So, tell me,” he threw over his shoulder at The Doctor as she hurried to keep up with him. “What do they want with me?”

“The obvious,” she replied. “You’re immortal.”

“But I don’t exist outside of time, I’m a fixed point in time. At least that’s what you told me. Which, now that you mention it, we really need to have a conversation about.”

Well, now, she didn’t like the sound of that. They paused outside of the conference room. Ianto sat slumped at the table, just about looking defeated.

“What is it?”

“A thing happened.” It wasn’t like Jack to hedge his words, but he was definitely doing that now.

“What thing?” she demanded in a hard voice.

“Actually, I don’t even really know. It happened with that ancient chasm of energy that runs through the middle of the Earth, you know the one.”

She gave and single nod and crossed her arms.

“This damned group of crazies got their hands on my blood and thought it’d be a good idea to introduce it to the thing. They called it the blessing.”

“Oh, no.” She could only imagine what havoc that’d caused. Actually, she didn’t have to imagine, since Ianto had told her some of what he’d read about Miracle Day on the TARDIS computer.

“To fix it, we needed to re-introduce my blood at both ends on opposite sides of the world at the same time because I was the only mortal person on the planet. There was this CIA agent, Rex, who helped Gwen and I while we were in the States. He infused himself with litres and litres of my blood, and then we both bled ourselves dry so the planet would reset and people could die again. Obviously, we both survived, and then a few days later, we discovered that Rex had become like me. He died, and then he came back. We just have no idea how exactly.”

“Oh no. No, no, no, Captain Harkness.” She paced, thoughts spinning into light years as she tried to make sense of what had happened. It shouldn’t have been possible.

“Do you have any explanation? Because I have to tell you, it’s been making me kind of crazy, not knowing.”

“All things are made up of matter.” She continued her pacing, thinking out loud. “That matter forms atoms, nuclei, cells; the building blocks of all life. A type of energy at its very basic level. The way that energy vibrates tells the atoms and nuclei and cells what they are; a rock, or a blade of grass, or a drop of water, or a living breathing human.”

Jack’s brow creased. “So you’re telling me the only difference between people and rocks are vibrations?”

“Fundamentally, yes, but that’s extremely simplified. When you died the first time and Rose brought you back with the heart of the TARDIS, what I told you was basically true. You became a fixed point. Time no longer had an influence over the energy that makes up your body. Your vibrations—for lack of a better word—became fixed as they were. So, any changes—like when you’re wounded or killed, that vibration, the very matter within you resets to its base form. The state you were in when Rose brought you back.”

He ran a hand over his hair like he was trying to figure all this out in his mind. “But I am aging, aren’t I?”

She waved a hand in a circular motion to get her thoughts to keep rolling. “I’d phrase it more as decaying, as opposed to aging.”

“Well, that paints a lovely picture.” Jack frowned at her.

“All things in the universe decay, Jack, even time itself.” She stopped pacing to stand in front of him.

“I still don’t understand how that can be used.”

“Theoretically, if the Timeless can harness that particular vibration, find how to freeze the wavelength of energy that fixes a person in time like you, then they can create their own race of immortal, unstoppable people. Granted, it’s not their ultimate aim of existing outside of time. But even with that level of immortality, they would have eons to achieve their ends. However, it would require vast amounts of energy to replicate what happened to you. As in, a star collapsing into a black hole. The kind of energy that would usually destroy, not create.”

“Or an ancient unknown energy running through the middle of a planet,” he answered.

She stepped closer to him. “The Timeless cannot find out about Rex. It proves your anomaly can be repeated, and they’ll stop at nothing to achieve it.”

“What about Ianto?” Jack nodded toward the conference room where he still sat at the table.

“We’ll find a way to help him, but our priority has to be making sure the Timeless don’t get their hands on you. And since Ianto’s one and only desire is to do everything in his power to hand you over…”

She didn’t finish the words, because the look on Jack’s face told her it didn’t need saying.

“This is a damned mess,” he muttered, before stepping forward to push through the conference room door.

Ianto didn’t say anything as Jack crossed the room and knelt in front of him.

“Are you okay?”

Ianto gave a small, hollow smile. “I think I’m meant to ask you that.”

“I’m not the one with a chip in my head.”

Ianto dropped Jack’s gaze to stare down at his hands. “I’m so sorry, Jack, I didn’t—”

“Hey.” Jack caught his chin in a gentle grip and urge him to raise his head again. “You’re not the first one of my boyfriends who’s killed me. And if I could forgive them for doing it on purpose, I can certainly forgive you for being forced to do it.”

A few tears escaped Ianto’s eyes to roll down his cheeks, but he gave a quick laugh.

“Your life is completely, utterly insane, you know that, right?”

“Yeah, but as long as I’ve got you, I wouldn’t have it any other way.” Jack leaned forward, but just as he was about to kiss Ianto, the lights cut out for a long second. When they came back on, a red flashing started up, along with an insistent wail.

“What’s that?” she asked as Jack shoved to his feet.

“Incursion alarm.” Jack rushed to the doorway, but paused to point a finger at her. “Stay here. Protecting him with your life.”

“I don’t take orders from you, Captain.” She crossed her arms, and then rolled her eyes when he kept staring at her expectantly. “Of course I’ll protect him. The minute I brought him back from the dead, his life became my responsibility.”

“Hello, sitting right here. Not a damsel in distress.” Ianto put in. “I could protect myself if someone would just uncuff me.”

Jack glanced at him. “Gwen still has the key.”

“Knowing her, she probably put it somewhere hard to reach,” Ianto muttered in annoyance.

Jack grinned and then turned his attention back to The Doctor. “Don’t suppose I can convince you to take a gun?”

She sent him a flat look. “Not in a million years.”

“You drive me crazy.” He grabbed her in and planted a quick kiss on her forehead. “I’ll send Gwen with that key. Plus, she’s got no problem shooting people.”

Before either of them could reply, he left the room at a run.

“Who do you think is trying to get in here?” Ianto asked, though by the tone of his voice, he’d already guessed and didn’t want to believe the answer.

“Considering how thoroughly we’ve been played, there’s really only one possibility.”

Ianto didn’t answer as Gwen arrived, a gun in each hand.

“We’ve got at least ten people trying to breach. Pretty sure it’s Invictus.”

Who, if she wasn’t mistaken, were probably working for the Timeless, even if they didn’t realize it.

“Gwen, let me help. Uncuff me. Just like old times.” Ianto held his hands out, waiting for her to come over and let him go.

“Sorry, Ianto. Right now, I don’t trust you not to go find Jack and kill him again.”

“That’s ballocks!” Ianto kicked the table leg. “I just spoke with Jack and I was fine. I’m in control now. There are people trying to get in here who want to do God-knows what to Jack and will probably kill the rest of us. At least give me a chance to defend myself.”

Gwen’s expression tightened, but she didn’t answer him. Instead she turned her concentration outwards. Across on the mezzanine, the rest of the Torchwood team were heading off in all different directions.

Lydia came toward the conference room as everyone else disappeared. Gwen sent her a questioning look as the other woman stepped inside.

“Jack changed his mind. He wants you to back up Tyler at the tourist office.”

“Why?” There was just a hint of suspicion in Gwen’s voice, almost not enough to notice. But of course, The Doctor always paid close attention to everything.

“Because he didn’t want me—” She glanced at Ianto, expression reluctant. “You know, because of— He didn’t want me in danger.”

Comprehension dawned in Gwen’s expression, but she looked far from happy about it.

“Right then. Hopefully they won’t make it this far, but if they do, you know what has to be done.” Gwen tucked one of her guns away and held the other in a two-handed grip.

“Protocol zero,” Lydia replied in a grim tone.

“Good luck.” Gwen hurried out of the room and then ran across the hub, disappearing from sight a moment later.

“What’s protocol zero?” she asked, glancing at Lydia. Something about her seemed a little… off. Nothing she could put her finger on. She was just getting a feeling, and she never ignored her feelings.

“Complete destruction of Torchwood through an implosion device that minimizes destruction to nearby structures,” Ianto answered. He sent Lydia a razor-sharp grin.

“How do you know that?” Lydia demanded, not sounding the least bit impressed.

“No one knows Torchwood better than me. So, I suppose not that much has changed in the last nine years.”

Lydia crossed her arms, a glare settling over her features. “I’ve put up with Tyler hanging around and dealt with Jack’s ex-lovers before. I mean, he has enough of them, doesn’t he? You can barely walk a block in any city without running into one.”

Surprise sent Ianto’s eyebrows upward. “Excuse me?”

“But you.” She strode forward. “You were the one I could never compete with. The perfect, amazing, gorgeous Ianto Jones. The one ex he never got over. All the others, he let them go. All except for you.”

“Well, I was going to apologise for crashing your relationship—or whatever you have with him. But now, I’m thinking not. Because you’re sort of a bitch.”

Instead of getting angry, she actually laughed. “Oh, you don’t know the half of it. Everything was going exactly how we’d planned it. And then you just dropped out of the sky and ruined everything.”

Ianto stared at her in confusion.

“What are you talking about?” The Doctor asked before Ianto could, that bad feeling inside her increasing exponentially.

“I’m talking about how hard I had to work to infiltrate this place. To get into Jack’s bed. To monitor and test him without him ever catching on that Invictus had someone watching him right under his nose.”

“You’re with _them_?” Ianto surged to his feet, jerking against the table where his leg was attached to it. “I’m going to kill you!”

She grinned, all smug and satisfied. “I doubt it.”

Lydia pulled something out of her pocket that kind of looked like a gun, but was smaller.

Ianto scoffed. “What are you going to do, stun me first? If you’re going to kill me, then just do it.”

“I would never kill you, Ianto. Not when they need you. Your friends, however—”

She spun and leapt forward, crashing into The Doctor. They went down in a heap, and before The Doctor could force her off, Lydia pressed the device against her forehead. It went off with a zap, sending shocks and bolts of energy through her body, jolting her into unrelenting darkness.


	9. Chapter 9

“Get off her! Leave her alone!” Ianto tried to scramble for The Doctor, but he couldn’t reach her with his leg attached to the table. Lydia used the stun gun, leaving The Doctor to fall unconscious on the floor.

Lydia pushed up, flicking her hair out of her face as she exhaled. “There now, one half of my problem taken care of.”

He straightened as she turned toward him, fury, disbelief, and a sense of betrayal on Jack’s behalf at how thoroughly she’d used him crashing through his body on heated waves.

“Go on then, kill me,” he taunted. He’d already died once, he knew what he was in for this time. Which only made panic tighten his chest, made him feel like he was suffocating again, just like when the virus had taken him.

“I already said I’m not going to kill you, Ianto. That would be a little short sighted, wouldn’t it? No, I’m going to let you go.”

“What?” He must have heard her wrong. It didn’t make any sense.

She stepped closer to him, holding up a key to the cuffs. “I’m going to let you go and you’re going to go find Jack. Then you’re going to kill him. You’ll make it so much easier for us to take him.”

“No. I’ll go down to the vaults and lock myself in before I can do it.” He tried to back away from her as she got closer, but he had nowhere to go.

“You won’t, because the chip won’t let you. All you’ll be able to think about, all you’ll be able to do is go to Jack. It will consume you from the inside out. It’ll burn you up, make you crave him in a way you never have before, until you would crawl on your hands and knees over broken glass just to get to him.” She raised the stun gun. “I’m going to uncuff you whether you like it or not. Unconscious or awake, I don’t really care.”

He locked his muscles against his instincts telling him to lash out or fight her. “Fine. You win.”

Lydia grinned smugly at him. “There now. That wasn’t so hard, was it?”

He held still while she unlocked the cuffs on his wrists, but as soon as they were gone, he grabbed her hand and twisted the stun gun out of her grip. Turning it around, he pressed it against her and squeezed the trigger, leaving her to drop to the floor. The key fell out of her hand when she hit the ground, tumbling to land against his shoe.

He bent down and picked it up. He should toss it as far away as he could and leave himself attached to the table until Gwen came back. Except what if Invictus made it this far up into the building? There was no one to activate protocol zero.

Not letting himself think twice about it, he quickly detached himself from the table, then bent down and cuffed Lydia. That would be fun to explain later. After that, he checked on The Doctor, but she seemed okay, just unconscious.

He hurried out into the main office. It took him a second to work out which was the main security console, but things really hadn’t changed that much and he figured it out quick enough.

At the console on multiple screens, he brought up footage of everyone working their way through the building. He searched the desk and found a spare comm, putting it in his ear and patching himself into the chatter.

“Jack, security measures at the tourist office are holding so far,” Gwen reported.

“Gwen, where are you?” Jack sounded confused. “I told you to stay in the conference room with Ianto and The Doctor.”

“Lydia told me you wanted me at the tourist office with Tyler.” There was a touch of worry to Gwen’s reply.

“She was meant to be manning the security console. Where the hell is she now?” Jack’s words came out a little uneven—on the screen he was moving fast with Orr and Mr Colchester, running through the tunnels that led to the storm water drain—had they put in another escape route since the hub had been blown up?

“Lydia can’t come to the phone right now, but please leave your name and number, and I’ll pass on the message for you,” he said in his best office-boy voice, grinning when on the screen, Jack pulled to a halt.

“Ianto? What’s happening up there? Not that I’m not glad to hear your voice in my ear. Just like old times.”

He tapped a few extra security protocols into the keyboard—someone was trying to hack through Torchwood’s firewalls to access the hub’s controls. They were good, but he was better.

“No one knows Torchwood like I do,” he muttered under his breath, repeating what he’d told Lydia minutes ago. Because it was true. Maybe they were in a re-built hub and the computer system was a little more advanced, but at its heart and soul, it was still the Torchwood he knew and reminded him that he really did belong here.

“Ianto, what happened with Lydia?” Jack asked impatiently when he didn’t answer fast enough.

“So, it turns out Lydia was working for Invictus.”

“What?” Several people all said at once.

“We had a bit of a disagreement and then she decided to take a nap. Nothing at all to worry over. I’m at the security console and have things under control on this end. You just concentrate on what you need to do, I’ve got you.”

Jack laughed—the one he always used when he was enjoying himself just a little too much despite the danger. “Ianto Jones, I could kiss you right now.”

“Yes, sir. I’ll note that down for later, then, shall I?”

“Count on it.” On the screen, Jack motioned to Orr and Mr Colchester, then the three of them started moving again.

Gwen and Tyler continued holding in the passageway behind the secret door that opened into the tourist office, the security measures meaning the Invictus people—all cliché, dressed in black complete with ski masks—so far hadn’t gotten any further than the messy tourist desk. In fact, they weren’t even trying that hard, almost like they were waiting for something. _Or someone_.

He glanced across the hub at where Lydia was still unconscious on the floor of the conference room. She was meant to be manning this security console. What if they were waiting for her to tamper with the systems to make it easier to get in? Jack, Orr and Mr Colchester were just about at the end of the tunnel, presumably to go out and around, coming at the Invictus agents from behind.

“Jack, stop where you are, don’t go outside.”

On the screen, Jack paused at the last second—he literally had his hands on the door.

“Why, what’s wrong?”

“I think we already foiled their plan. Lydia was supposed to be on this security console. They’re not trying to breach because I think they’re waiting for her to let them in.”

“Are you sure?” Jack backed away from the door, sharing a glance with Mr Colchester.

“Honestly, no. I can’t confirm without talking to Lydia, except she’s unconscious, I used the stun gun on her. But looking at everything from up here, I’m certain that’s what they’re doing.”

“If Ianto’s right, I’ll call Andy and get him to come in with the sirens going,” Gwen offered. “That should send them scattering.”

“Let’s retreat,” Jack ordered. “I want everyone back up in the main hub.”

“Just like that?” Mr Colchester asked, sounding incredulous. “Shouldn’t we at least—”

“If Ianto says they’re not coming in, then they’re not coming in. So let’s stop wasting time and get our asses back up to the hub.”

It was completely ridiculous, but a warm feeling lit up in his chest at Jack’s words; his utter unfailing confidence in him. The sensation spread, taking over, and suddenly, he wanted to see Jack straight away. Not in the few minutes it would take for him to get back up here. Right this second. He wanted to—

Oh, God, no. Not again. He clenched his hands on the edge of the desk, as if that’d stop him from going anywhere. But Lydia, damn her, she’d been right. The longing, the craving for Jack was a physical thing, tensing his muscles, sending his heart racing, running hot like mercury through his veins, making him ache like if he didn’t see Jack in the next few moments, he’d tear his own skin off just to stop the sensation.

“Jack, I’m coming to find you,” he heard himself say into the comm.

Jack laughed, a hint of his typical self-satisfaction to the tone. “Can’t even wait the entire three minutes it’s going to take me to get up there?”

“I need to see you now.”

No. No, he couldn’t do that. He had to stay away from Jack. The vaults. He had to lock himself up.

“Need me like you want to kill me again, or need me like we’ll be naked as soon as we’re alone?” Jack didn’t sound worried enough about this problem. But that was him, always making a joke, especially at inopportune times.

“Come on, Jack,” Gwen complained through her comm. “Not while the rest of us are listening, thank you very much.”

“Sorry, Gwen. But it’s been nine years and you have no idea how much I want to—”

“Okay Jack!” Gwen cut in over top of him. “It doesn’t need spelling out.”

Jack laughed, the amusement left no doubt that he was definitely enjoying himself.

Ianto’s temper had already been short, but Jack not taking this seriously burned the rest of the fuse quickly. “This isn’t funny, Jack, As soon as I see you, I’m going to kill you. I can’t fight it.”

“Yes, you can, Ianto,” Jack replied in a quiet, intense voice. He’d gone from joking and flirting to deadly serious in a spilt second. “Change of plans. I’m heading up to the hub to speak with Ianto. The rest of you stay on archive level one and keep an eye on our uninvited guests.”

“Jack. You can’t come up here.”

“It’s happening, Ianto. So deal with it.” Jack was using that stubborn tone that meant even death wasn’t going to stop him once he’d made up his mind. Literally.

“I’m going down to the vaults to lock myself in. I’ll hide from you.”

“Oh really?” Jack’s voice came out low, again with a hint of amusement. “Sure, we can play naked hide-and-seek if you want. I have missed it.”

Ianto gave a hollow laugh despite himself. “You always cheat.”

“Because I know you love it when I win.” This time, Jack’s voice held an intimate tone that sent a rippling shiver down his spine.

“Jack, please don’t come up here,” he asked quietly, even though it was probably pointless. The man was stubborn and absolutely ruthless when he needed to be.

“Sorry, Ianto, but we need to figure this out, and I’m only willing to do that face to face.”

The comm cut out. _No way_. Jack did not just hang up on him. He tried to reconnect it, but got nothing.

“Damn it, Jack!”

Jack might not care about it, but he’d already killed him once, and even knowing he would come back to life and be fine, the guilt at hurting him sat heavy in his stomach. He couldn’t live with doing that to him over and over.

Abandoning the comm and security console, he ran through the blast doors and out to the elevator to press the button, but nothing happened. No lights, no ding, nothing to indicate it was working. Had Jack somehow locked down the lift so he couldn’t go anywhere?

Stairs. He had to get to the stairs. Just as he turned, the elevator chimed and whooshed open.

Jack stood there, legs braced wide, that coat he loved so much falling perfectly around his body like it always did. His expression held nothing but a challenge. All Ianto could imagine was grabbing him around the neck and squeezing until his eyes rolled into the back of his head and he collapsed.

“Jack, stay away from me.” He held out a hand to ward him off as he backed up a few steps.

Jack slowly walked off the elevator, coming toward him with measured steps. “Well, I’m here, and you haven’t tried to kill me yet.”

“Because I’m fighting it with every ounce of willpower I have. But I can’t keep this up, Jack. I’m going to break. Any second now.” He stopped backing away, his feet betraying him, refusing to take him any further. It was all he could do not to step forward.

“I don’t believe there’s anything in this world that could truly break you, Ianto Jones.” Jack took several more steps. “Oh, you’ve come close. We both know that. But every time, there was this tiny spark, a passion for life that kept you whole.”

He shook his head. It wasn’t true, he’d been weak, he’d made so many wrong choices, hurt so many people. Including Jack. And if he didn’t get away, he was going to hurt Jack again now.

“Maybe you’ll kill me. Maybe you’ll do it a hundred times. But I know you won’t hand me over to the Timeless.”

“How do you know?” he whispered. “It’s what the chip is telling me to do.”

Jack crossed the distance between them, stopping only three paces away, within reaching range. He clenched his fists, palms itching with the urge to grab him.

“Because of your loyalty. Because of your unwavering devotion. Because you’ll do _anything_ for the people you love. I saw that, with Lisa. At first, I didn’t understand. But then— Oh, Ianto. Then you were mine, and I saw it every day. The way you looked at me. Sometimes, the guilt ate at me so bad, I told myself I should let you go. If I were a better man, I would have broken it off with you. I wouldn’t have let anything else happen after that one night we first agreed to. But I’m a selfish bastard, and even though I knew I was going to be the death of you, I wanted that loyalty and devotion. Being loved by you is like standing in the burning brilliance of a sun going supernova.”

“Jack—” Was that really what he thought? Was that really how Jack saw him? The words had stolen all of his air, sent his heart racing for a completely different reason than the drive to do what the chip was telling him. “I’m not that strong. I can’t keep fighting this.”

“Yes, you can.” A hint of anger edged into his tone and expression. “Because that’s what we do. We keep fighting and we find a way.”

Jack reached out and set a hand on his shoulder. But the second he made contact, it was like a string stretched to tight, snapping under the pressure. He grabbed Jack by the collar and drove him back into the wall, slamming him up against it.

Jack didn’t even resist, just held his gaze in stubborn determination.

“You love me, Ianto. You’re not going to hand me over to the Timeless.”

“This isn’t some Disney movie, Jack!” He panted over the words, fury and desperation surging through him. “Love isn’t going to fix this.”

“Go ahead then,” Jack tilted his chin up, jaw clenched. “Kill me.”

He slid one of his hands from Jack’s collar up his neck. Beneath his fingers, he could feel the steady throb of Jack’s pulse. All he had to do was squeeze. Jack wouldn’t fight him, he’d already said so. It would be easy. And then he could take him—

Nothing came after that. No answer about where exactly he was supposed to take Jack. It sent relief spiralling through him like a cooling breeze on a scorching day. Because if he didn’t know where he was meant to take Jack, then he couldn’t actually do it.

 _He couldn’t do it_. The belief became stronger and stronger. Jack was right, he would rather die again than let the Timeless have him. He slid his palm to the back of Jack’s neck, yanking him in and closing his mouth over his. He kissed him desperately, hungrily, burning up the aching need to kill him with a different, hotter type of need. Jack grabbed him in closer and then spun them. This time, he was the one who got slammed into the wall. Jack came up against him and every other thought, every little influence the chip had been exerting over him went up in smoke.

After a long minute, Jack broke the kiss to stare at him. “Feeling more like yourself, now?”

He nodded, since his mind had momentarily forgotten how to form words.

“Good. Let’s get the others up here and work out what we’re going to do. I doubt getting all hot and heavy every time the mood strikes you to kill me is a permanent solution.” Jack grinned, self-satisfied, suave and suggestive. “Not that I’d be complaining if it was.”

Jack stepped back and let him go. He turned, heading along the short corridor and through the blast doors with his usual swagger.

Ianto exhaled unsteadily and pulled his clothes straight, before following after him.

Unfortunately, he got the sinking feeling that whatever solution they ended up deciding on, it wasn’t going to be easy or pleasant.


	10. Chapter 10

Ianto followed Jack over to the conference room where Lydia and The Doctor were both still laying on the floor. Jack checked The Doctor first and then went over to crouch next to Lydia.

Ianto stopped a few steps away, a new surge of fury bubbling up within him at how she’d used Jack. Probably wasn’t a good idea to let him get too close to her until his temper cooled a little… which might be never.

“What are you going to do with her?” he asked Jack, glancing over his shoulder at the sound of the blast door rolling open when the others returned.

“Take her out to the Brecon Beacons and bury her in an unmarked grave,” Jack replied in an emotionless voice.

“Um, okay.” The words came out sounding more like a question as he eyed Jack. He had to be pissed off about what she’d done, but burying her alive seemed a little extreme.

“She’s dead, Ianto.” Jack tilted her head to the side and indicated to where blood had run out of her ears.

“What?” He stepped closer, confusion and a hint of apprehension cutting through him. Yes, he’d been furious at her and he’d said he would kill her, but it’d just been the anger talking. He hadn’t really wanted—

Jack stood and turned to set a hand on his shoulder. “I don’t think it was you, Ianto. She either killed herself somehow, or Invictus knew she’d been compromised and didn’t want her to talk.”

He gave a shallow nod, but couldn’t take his eyes off the crimson blood staining her hair, because there was this little shadow of doubt in the back of his mind wondering whether he had somehow accidentally killed her when he’d used the stun gun.

“Ianto.”

He looked up at Jack, since there’d been a hint of steely order to his name.

“It’s not worth wondering about. She betrayed us and now she’s dead.”

He nodded again, repeating the words in his mind. He agreed with the sentiment but death was never a pleasant visitor, no matter who it came for.

Gwen stepped into the conference room and only spared Lydia the briefest glance. “Dead, is she?”

Jack nodded tightly, shifting to stand next to him.

“How the hell did we not see it, Jack?” She crossed her arms, expression angry and apprehensive. “I knew something was up when she came into the conference room and said you didn’t want her to put herself in danger. It’s not like you to put personal feelings before a mission—”

“It’s done now,” Jack said in a firm voice, like he was disappointed in Gwen, but wasn’t going to say anything. Not right now, anyway.

“And what are we going to do about Ianto?” Gwen sent him a wary look, like he was a ticking time bomb with a faulty trigger. “You really think standing that close to him is a good idea?”

Jack crossed his arms, features shifting from disappointed to annoyed. “He’s fine, Gwen.”

She gave a cynical laugh. “He’s far from _fine_ , Jack. I’m sorry, Ianto, but we can’t trust you, not with that chip in your head.”

“You don’t think I’m not painfully aware of that?” he demanded in return.

“Gwen, what is your problem?” Jack demanded, taking a step forward, like he was unconsciously trying to protect Ianto from her. “You’ve been acting weird all day. The chip is a problem, yes. But he’s _alive_. We got Ianto back and the universe didn’t have to get broken in the process.”

“Because I was here, Jack,” she returned heatedly, emotion in her gaze. “I’ve always been right here, even when you weren’t. I saw what happened to you after he died. I lived through the fallout. Up until yesterday, I was still living through the fallout, because ever since you lost him, you’ve been just that little bit more Jack bloody Harkness. A little more reckless, a little more irresponsible, a little more thoughtless, a little more self-righteous and quite frankly, a little more selfish.”

“Gwen—”

“Don’t you say a sodding word to deny it.” She pointed a finger at him angrily. “Not when we both know its true. You’re still immortal, and I’m sorry, but one day you’re going to lose Ianto again. You’ll lose me and Orr and Mr Colchester and even Tyler, just like we lost Tosh and Owen.”

“What do you want me to do, Gwen?” Jack’s voice was raw when he uttered the demand. “Not care about any of you?”

“That’s not what I’m saying.” She glanced away from him. “I don’t have the answer. I’m just scared for you, Jack. You know how much I care about you and I’m terrified of what’s going to happen to you when we’re all gone. Or what you’ll do next time Ianto dies and there’s no Doctor to bring him back.”

Jack stepped forward and drew Gwen in for a hug, kissing the top of her head. His eyes were damp as he held out an arm and brought Ianto in as well, holding them both close and a little too tightly.

“Truthfully, it terrifies me as well.”

***

“Doctor? Doctor?”

Someone was calling her from very far away, but as she focused on the voice, it became louder and clearer. The Doctor opened her eyes to find Jack kneeling above her.

“Lydia, she’s—”

“Working for Invictus, we know, thanks to Ianto.” Jack reached down and helped her upright. “She’s dead, unfortunately, so we won’t be getting any intel out of her. How do you feel? The stun gun can leave you with a bit of a headache.”

Yes, her head was throbbing, but hopefully it would pass quickly. “Where is Ianto?”

“Here,” he replied, stepping into the conference room.

She went over and sat in one of the seats, Ianto going over to sit opposite her.

“Well, you’re not trying to kill Jack. That’s a good sign.”

“You wouldn’t be saying that if you’d woken up fifteen minutes ago.” There was a tone of tired defeat to Ianto’s words.

“Oh. Did you—"

“I wanted to strangle him.” Ianto cut her a sharp smile. “With my bare hands. Just squeeze the life right out of him.”

“But you didn’t.” Jack came over to stand at the end of the conference table and brace his hands against the surface. “You proved you could beat it.”

“In that moment, yes. But what about next time? Jack, I can’t just step back into my old shoes, come in here, make coffee and organise your life for you. Because every morning I’m going to wake up and think _how many times will I accidentally kill Jack today_?” Ianto dragged a hand over his face. “I can’t live like that.”

“Then what do you want to do?” Jack asked quietly, as if he already knew the answer, but didn’t want Ianto to say it.

Instead of replying, Ianto looked at her. “You said if there was a way to get this thing out of my head, it wasn’t on Earth, and wasn’t in this century.”

“I have a few ideas of where I might find the answer. But if there is one, it will be very far away, and probably very dangerous.”

“Ianto—” Jack’s voice held a note of warning.

“I have to go with her, Jack. You know I do.”

Jack pushed off from the table, pacing a few steps away and then coming back. He settled a hard glare on The Doctor. “He’s not going to end up like your other companions; dead or lost somewhere in time or space with no way of getting home. I know how it goes, travelling with the Doctor, and I’m telling you right now, Ianto Jones belongs here, at Torchwood.”

“I’ve got no intention of whisking him away forever. We’ll see if we can find some way to remove the chip and then come right back. No detours.”

Jack pointed a stern finger at her. “Definitely no detours.”

“Cross both my hearts.”

Jack folded his arms over his chest and glanced pensively at Ianto. “Are you sure?”

“Truthfully, no. But it doesn’t seem like we have much of a choice, does it?”

She got to her feet, because she hated goodbyes and didn’t want this drawn out. If they were going, then it was time to leave. It might take her and Ianto weeks or months to find a solution, but for Jack, it could be mere minutes if she returned Ianto to this time when they were done.

“The TARDIS should be fully recharged by now.”

Ianto stood stiffly, like he wasn’t quite sure what to do or say. “Then I guess the sooner we get going, the sooner we can fix this.”

Jack gave a tight nod. “I’ll walk you out to the TARDIS.”

None of them said anything as they went up via the invisible lift. As they’d hoped, Gwen’s trick of calling the police had actually worked and the Invictus agents had left in a hurry.

There were still a few officers milling around, and Jack returned a wave from Andy, who enthusiastically used his entire arm, not just his hand, when he waved at them.

They arrived at the TARDIS and while The Doctor unlocked it, Jack set a hand fondly against the wood panelling. “Still as gorgeous as ever I see.”

Ianto slipped his hands into his pockets. “I guess this is it, then.”

Jack stepped closer, sliding an arm around his waist. “It’s not goodbye. You’re coming right back. Without the biochip.”

Ianto clenched his jaw and nodded, doubt and worry in his eyes as he stared at Jack.

Leaning in, Jack kissed him gently, slowly, but briefly. “Come back to me, Ianto Jones.”

“Always,” Ianto murmured. “But not forever.”

A hint of pain crossed Jack’s features as Ianto stepped out of his hold. Jack understood too well what Ianto had meant by that. She wondered which would be harder; being in Jack’s shoes and knowing one day he would lose Ianto for good, or being in Ianto’s shoes and knowing his time with Jack was so fleeing, it was nearly inconsequential.

Jack turned to her with a too-bright smile, clearly trying to cover the pain he was feeling. He enveloped her in a tight hug.

“I didn’t get a chance to say it before, but I’m loving the new regeneration,” he murmured in a teasing voice with a hint of his usual flirtiness. He pressed a kiss into her cheek and then let her go. “Look after each other. I don’t want anything to happen to either of you.”

She sent him a confident smile. “Don’t worry, you’ll barely have time to notice we’re gone.”

Pushing open the TARDIS door, she waited for Ianto to join her.

He stared at Jack for a long moment, emotion crossing his face, like there were too many things in his mind that he wanted to say and didn’t know where to start. Instead, he simply turned and walked inside, stepping past her.

Jack’s expression fell just a little. But he sent her a salute as she stepped back and let the TARDIS door swing closed, blocking him from sight. Lucky for Jack Harkness, he was about the only person in the universe who could get away with saluting her without it being completely annoying.

Ianto was already standing at the control console, arms crossed as he stared at the screen, where it showed an external image of the TARDIS and Jack walking away, past the base of the water tower.

“So, where are we going?” he asked, keeping his gaze locked on the screen.

“Somewhere completely disreputable. I find all the best people hang out in disreputable places.”

He finally glanced at her, not impressed with her answer. “Tell me truthfully. Are we going to find a way to fix this?”

“I got you into this mess, Mr Jones, so believe me when I tell you I’ll do everything in my considerable power to get you out of it.”

“I’m holding you to that,” he replied in a tight voice.

“As well you should.” She fired up the TARDIS engine and input their destination. “Here goes everything.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the end of episode 2!
> 
> Episode 3 - Life Less Ordinary - Coming Soon
> 
> The Doctor and Ianto Jones promised Jack Harkness "no detours" on their mission to get the biochip removed from Ianto's brain. Except apparently the TARDIS has other ideas. Arriving on a dead ship, parked on a dead planet, that quite frankly smells like death, The Doctor and Ianto are stuck until they figure out what brought the TARDIS here and why.  
> Maybe everything isn't as dead as it first seems. Maybe, there is life here... maybe, a life less ordinary.


End file.
